Hollywood Coaching
by dawnindanite
Summary: Companion to Hollywood Management. AU After leaving his sister in a big time lurch, Kendall goes home to Minnesota and realizes that life is about change again for him and the boys. Falling back into the leader position of the group, Kendall has to help the guys, but ultimately himself when it comes to making choices. Kendall/? James/Katie Jatie, Logan/Camille Lomille, Carlos/?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hi Readers! Finally! The promised companion piece to _Hollywood Management_! I'm so sorry it took so long, but like others, life pretty much got in the way and I haven't had time to really sit down and develop this story mentally. However, I have a vague outline of where I want this story to go, so hopefully it pans out. I've tried to write this to accommodate those who have not read HM, but it may help if you read _Hollywood Management_ first.

Just a heads up, this story won't be nearly as long as HM (that one kind of spiralled out of control), nor will it focus on a short duration of time. This story time skips, or rather, moves at a much faster rate than the previous.

Disclaimer: I do not own Big Time Rush nor its characters

* * *

Kendall stared at the cabinet, hoping that inspiration would come to him.

"Honey, that cabinet doesn't hold the answer to your problems." Jennifer Knight sat down next to her only son on the couch. She gave him a reassuring pat on his thigh, "You're going to need to answer them soon."

He sighed, throwing his head back. "I know, it's just so hard. Was it this hard when we moved out to California for Big Time Rush?"

Jennifer chuckled, amused. "Yes, it was. It took the boys hours to convince you to leave, and you only did it because you forced Gustavo to bring them along with you."

He frowns at his mother with his green eyes. "Can't I do the same thing this time?"

Jennifer quirked her head, "Maybe, if the NHL was considering to now buyout whole teams to allow you to bring your boys with you. But I think you have to go through a lot of obstacles for that to happen."

"Can't you just tell me what to do?"

Jennifer chuckled again, getting up, "Kendall, I stopped making decisions for you when you learned the difference between girls and boys."

"There's a difference between girls and boys?" Kendall asked jokingly.

Jennifer rolled her eyes, "Please, as if you don't know the difference. Now, I'm off to help Mrs. Leland calm down, her little girl just booked her first commercial." Jennifer was a stage-mom consultant, coaching moms with aspirational children. "Don't worry, you'll figure it out."

"Thanks, mom," Kendall forced a smile, watching his mother leave.

He sighed again. Kendall had to face the impossible decision of leaving Minnesota for California, once again for his career. He knew that the opportunity to be the assistant coach on the NHL team was a once in a lifetime chance, something that seemed to crop up often for him. But, he couldn't just leave behind his current team at the university. The pros and cons of leaving for the job was balanced. He just couldn't decided which one was better for him.

Kendall got up, deciding that a walk around town might clear his head. He slapped on a coat and headed out the door. One thing was certain, the weather in Los Angeles would be a hundred times better than in Shakopee.

He somehow made it downtown in record time, waving to a couple of people he knew, though none of them that well. Kendall sighed again, the biggest push factor for him leaving was the chance to be with the people he cared most about again.

His old bandmates from Big Time Rush were all moving back to L.A. It seemed that life had come round full circle. Logan was moving back to really begin his medical career, his lifetime dream finally coming true. Carlos, after adventuring across the globe had finally taken to becoming an actor. James, the fame blood running thick in him, had stayed in the city of angels the whole time developing a living of acting and singing.

Most importantly, his baby sister, Katie, was living in Los Angeles. She, like James, had stayed behind when the band dispersed because she needed to further her own career. Kendall smirked to himself, whenever she had those crazy managerial schemes as a kid, he didn't think that she would actually do something about it. But, Katie made him eat his words when she opened her own business, Knight Management, about a year ago.

Kendall shook his head again, wondering what was happening with the aforementioned. He had just come back from visiting his beloved kin, leaving her behind in quite a messy situation. Katie had been dealing with a pressuring competitor, and last he heard, she managed to stand her ground and keep her company running. However, that wasn't what was troubling him.

Before Katie had left on a much-earned vacation, Katie and James had developed their working relationship into a more-than-working relationship; it was something that Kendall was still processing. The two had apparently begun to feel more loving towards each other much more than a talent manager and her client should feel and vice versa. When Kendall left L.A., Katie was still in the midst of sorting out her feelings for his best friend. The idea that his baby sister and James liked each other boggled his mind and didn't taste all that appetizing to be honest, but Kendall knew that if he so much as hinted that he didn't want this relationship to happen, Katie would hightail it out of there in a heartbeat. He couldn't let his baby sister run from the prospect of love; he wouldn't be the reason. Kendall knew that Katie had a fear of relationships, mostly blaming the lack of time that she had to actually have one, but as her older brother, he knew that Katie was fearful of diving into something that had such a big risk of failing. Even though their parents had separated when she was just a baby, the idea that a marriage, something that was meant to be eternal but could shatter so easily, was unappealing to her. Kendall smirked again, being a self-proclaimed tomboy, Katie was quite a romantic and she didn't even know it.

Kendall continued smirking to himself, thinking of how he left his sister and former bandmate. With Katie, he knew that he had to be more straightforward, telling her that she needed to believe in her instincts. While on the other hand, with James, he was a bit more cryptic. The hockey player in him wanted to bloody the pretty boy up, but the good friend in him let his friend say his piece about his feelings towards Kendall's sister. It was strange for Kendall to see his friend so enraptured by the prospect of actually being in a relationship, let alone with Katie, that he decided to leave James in one piece. There was still a part of him that didn't trust how this was going to end up. He knew that the possibility that one of them would end up breaking each other's heart was very high, but he was going to let them deal with that particular issue. It was a good time for Kendall to let Katie and his friends learn how not to depend on him for everything. Strangely, apart from the likely possibility that the two could destroy each other, he thought that James and Katie complemented one another; he knew that James was the person to get Katie to live life while his sister managed to stablize James' Hollywood lifestyle.

Kendall seated himself by the window of his favourite coffee shop. He pulled out his phone and looked at the Kings' email again. He knew that if he didn't answer soon, the team would eventually move on to scout a different coach, leaving him behind in the dust. Kendall scratched the back of his head in frustration when a pounding at the window startled him. He looked up to find three familiar faces staring back at him. The guys waved before quickly making their way into the establishment.

"Hey, Coach!"

Kendall stood up to greet them. "Hey, boys. Grab a seat." He had forgotten that some of his students hailed from his hometown.

Jory, the goofiest of the three bobbed over to the seat right across from Kendall, forcing his teammates to pull other chairs to the table.

Kendall was about to ask the boys how they were doing, having not seen them since he got back from vacation, but Evan, the smartest boy on the hockey team who was also on a full academic scholarship, beat him to the punch.

"So, Coach, word has it that the Kings picked you up for half a billion dollars."

Kendall shook his head, chuckling. He should have known that word would get out in a small town like Shakopee faster than you can say, 'hockey puck.'

"I haven't agreed to anything, yet, and it's definitely not for that much."

Evan slapped the back of Derek's head, before crying out, "See? I told you that was an outrageous and highly unlikely amount of money."

Derek slapped Evan's hand away and shrugged his broad shoulders. "That's what I heard, okay?" He turned to look at Kendall and flashed him a vivid white smile. "But the rumours are true, right? The Kings! Alright, Coach!" Something or rather someone caught his attention as he finished his proclamation. A girl Kendall recognized from campus passed by, giving Derek a wink, which he had returned with a grin and a 'call me' gesture.

Kendall shook his head again in amusement. These three boys reminded him of another trio who were waiting for him in California.

"Yes, the L.A. Kings have asked me to join them as an assistant coach, but I haven't agreed to anything."

"Why not?" Jory slapped the table furiously, startling the other patrons in the coffee shop. He held up his hands sheepishly in apology. He turned his attention back to Kendall.

Kendall sighed before taking a sip of his coffee. "If you haven't forgotten, I already have a job, as a coach for you guys, remember?"

Three pairs of eyes blinked at him before they broke out in amused laughter. Evan was the first to calm down.

"You're kidding, right? You're passing up the opportunity to work for the NHL to stay with us? Even Jory knows that's stupid."

Jory was still laughing but sobered up quickly at the insult. "Hey!"

Derek held up his hand. "The point is, Coach. What's keeping you? You can't say it's us, 'cause that's lame."

Kendall furrowed one of his trademark eyebrows.

"It's not lame, per se," Evan added, "but it is pretty dumb. Coach, you've taught us a lot over these past few years and we're grateful for it, but you'll regret this decision some time down the road, and most likely resent us for this, too. Not to mention, we're talking NHL, here! You have to go."

Jory smiled brightly, "Yeah, and if you miss us, just think, we'll see you in a year or two when we'll be part of the NHL, too!"

Kendall laughed, looking down at his drink before looking up again at his three companions. "You really think I should do this?"

"Yes!" All three of them cried.

Derek whipped out his phone and quickly placed the device in front of Kendall. "Look, Coach. I've put the news up on ScuttleButter and look at all the replies. Everyone's happy for you." He turned the phone back to him, frowning. "Except Jimmy, but I think that's more of a separation anxiety issue."

Evan quirked an eyebrow at him. "Well? What are you waiting for? You better tell them that you're going to take the job."

Kendall considered the three boys in front of him, trying to read their emotions, and he knew that they were truly being sincere about their happiness at this opportunity for him. Knowing that he wasn't letting down his team made the decision that much easier for him.

He sighed in resignation, "Okay, I'll take the job."

"Yeah, alright!" The three boys started slapping each other in elation.

* * *

When Jennifer and Kendall sat down for dinner that night, he told her about his decision to take the job in Los Angeles.

Jennifer grabbed her chest and sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness!"

Kendall looked at her in puzzlement and indignation. "Thank you?"

Jennifer gently rolled her eyes. "You know I don't mean it like that, sweetie. In case in turns out that you really didn't want the job, I didn't want you to feel like I forced you to go. But, it would be nice to finally experience the empty nest syndrome parenting magazines always go on about."

Kendall gave his mother another look, causing her to continue.

"I mean, let's face it. You and Katie had never really been problem children, so I never had to deal with any misconducts, aside from your childish antics. Not to mention, you've never left my side." She reached out and gave his hand a loving pat. "It's time for you to let go of me. I know you've stuck with me all these years because you think that I'll be lonely without you kids, but I'll be fine on my own. In fact, I'll start by experiencing life on my own with the yoga retreat I've been talking about."

Kendall looked at her with amazement, "You're actually going through with that?"

Jennifer frowned at him. "Yes, so I'll be leaving in about a week or so. By then, we should have you all set up and out in Los Angeles."

"Mom, I don't have to leave right away."

Jennifer shook her head adamantly. "Nope. We are getting you out of here as soon as we can so that you don't have the chance to change your mind."

"I don't even have a place of my own, yet!" Kendall cried out, trying to make his mother see the impracticality of her idea.

"You can stay at Katie's for the time being. She's in Europe right now."

"I think Carlos told me something about him house-sitting for her."

Jennifer shrugged her shoulders. "So? You guys can both do it."

"Mom," Kendall said sternly.

"Fine," she conceded.

Kendall shook his head, amused at his mom's frustrations. "Besides, who would watch the house while you're gone? Not to mention, I still need time to find a replacement coach for the team." He picked up his fork, ready to continue eating when he added, "Wow, you really want me out of here."

"Oh, don't pretend to act all wounded. You know I love you. Now, hurry up, your dinosaur chicken is getting cold."

* * *

A/N: Well, I hope this chapter started your appetite for this story! As you can see, this story will be from Kendall's POV just to spice things up a bit.

Like usual, I would love to hear your comments, so please leave a review!

Love always,

Dawnindanite


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hey All! Here's the next update!

Thanks to those who have left sweet reviews already! Love and appreciate them!

Disclaimer: I do not own the BTR characters

* * *

"Careful, big bro, Anymore pacing and you might just burn up my Parisian rug," Katie said sarcastically as she watched him out of the corner of her eye, while she furiously tapped her phone.

"I'm sorry, okay? It's just, I'm nervous. It's finally happening, Katie−"

"The NHL, I know. You've only said it about a hundred times in the last hour." Katie stood up and pushed her brother down onto the couch. "Relax, you're going to be fine. You've been going to practices for a week, they know who you are. The only difference now is that you officially have the title of Assistant Coach."

Kendall nodded his head. "Right, right. I can do this." He gave a chuckle of disbelief. "Why am I so worried? I have this in the bag. I'm Kendall Knight!"

Katie meshed her eyebrows together. "You're starting to sound like James."

"Well, maybe if you didn't have him over here like every night, then I wouldn't be so influenced."

Katie smacked her brother's head, "You've lived with him for like a decade. Stop trying to find faults in our relationship."

"I'm not _trying_ to find faults," Kendall replied, widening his bright green eyes. "It just happens." He frowned at Katie's incessant tapping. "Who in the world are you texting?"

Kendall watched as his sister threw her hands in the air in frustration. "It's Carlos. He's on set right now with Marka and complaining about how he can't stand her, as if we didn't already know that." She huffed and stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Down to the studio. I have to make sure that my clients don't kill one another before they finish filming the movie. Wish me luck," she shouted over her shoulders, slamming the door to their shared condo.

A few seconds later, Kendall felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it and looked at the display in confusion. "Katie? Why are you calling me?" Kendall listened with slowly growing amusement as Katie told him how she forgot to tell him about dinner at James' place that night. Kendall smiled, "I thought managers were supposed to be organized, but, whatever, I'll see you tonight."

Kendall hung up and decided that he might as well head over to James' place early. James' mansion was decidedly much roomier and more entertaining than Katie's condo. He hummed to himself as he got down to street level. Having just settled back in Los Angeles for a couple of weeks, Kendall had yet to get around to buying a car. He pulled out his phone and made a note to himself to do so. Too busy tapping the screen while still keeping his feet moving, Kendall had little warning when he bumped into someone, knocking both of them down.

"Ow! Watch where you're going, would you!" An indignant voice called out, as the girl grabbed at her head.

Kendall hastily got to his feet and helped pull the girl up. "Sorry! I wasn't looking where I wa−Lucy?"

Lucy had dropped her hands in the middle of his apology, revealing her familiar dark, and angry eyes. She widened them upon recognition.

"Kendall?" She broke out in a smile. "Hey! What are you doing in L.A.?"

Kendall studied the petite woman, barely recognizing his ex-girlfriend without her usual red streaks of hair."

"Wow, Lucy. I didn't even recognize you."

Lucy grinned and rubbed her pixie haircut, "I know, I look a lot different. So what are you doing here?" She asked again. "I thought Camille said that you moved back to Minnesota?"

Kendall thanked his lucky stars that most of his break-ups in Hollywood were relatively amicable. He never thought that he'd run into his old flames again, but here he was.

"I did, but I recently moved back." He gave the details of his most recent endeavours.

"Congratulations! Oh wait, sorry, got to take this," she explained as her phone began ringing. "Hey, Ryan. I'm sorry, I'm late. I'll be there soon, okay? Love you!"

Lucy flashed Kendall a guilty look. "Sorry, I really got to go."

Kendall nodded his head in understanding. "Boyfriend?"

She smiled warmly, "Son, actually. Ryan's two. His father was a mistake, but he's my little blessing."

"You're a mom! Sorry, I didn't mean for it to come out that way," Kendall backtracked, hoping that she knew that he said that only in the state of shock.

Lucy giggled, "It's fine, but I really got to go pick him up from daycare. We should catch up some time, yeah?"

"Absolutely." He reached around her for a hug, which she returned.

Lucy headed to her car, "Camille has my number. Just call me."

* * *

"Hey, Camille, how come you never mentioned that Lucy had a son?" Kendall questioned the curly haired woman seated beside him.

Camille shrugged, biting into her spaghetti. "It never came up. How do you know about Ryan, anyway?"

"I ran into her today. Can I get her number from you?"

While Camille nodded, Kendall spotted Katie giving him a suspicious look. "It's nothing! We're just getting together to catch up. It's completely platonic."

James snorted from beside Katie, causing Kendall to raise an eyebrow in annoyance. James rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, every time you say it's platonic, it always ends becoming a relationship with you. Remember that girl at your university? Hyena?"

"Gia," Kendall hissed between his teeth.

Carlos slapped his knee in remembrance. "Oh! That girl. Man, she had a hideous, I mean, unique laugh," he corrected himself, sensing the hostility from Kendall.

"Gia was nice. It was different with her. We were in the same study group and one thing led to another."

"Okay, then what about Iesha?" James inquired, pointing his fork at Kendall.

Carlos suddenly sobered. "Wait, what? You dated Iesha?"

Iesha was one of Carlos' close friends in college. Kendall had met her at one of Carlos' birthday parties. He had not intended to start a relationship, but with weeks of flirty texting, they had decided to take it to the next level.

Kendall sighed, "I didn't tell you because it didn't last very long, and we didn't want it to be weird for you in case we broke up, which we did. We weren't long distant daters."

"I still can't believe you didn't tell me. I'm supposed to be one of your best friends. Besides, isn't there a rule or something that states that friends can't date other people's friends?"

Camille quirked an eyebrow. "Carlos, you do realize that many relationships start by friendly association? People meet their partners through their friends and friends of friends. Besides," she casted a pointed look at James and Katie.

Katie raised her hand. "Hey, leave us out of this."

James wrapped his arm around Katie and quickly concurred. "Yeah, leave us out of this."

Kendall watched as Katie glanced up at him and shrugged off James' arm. Kendall smirked to himself, happy that his sister still cared enough about him to realize that he had yet to get use to seeing the two of them be affectionate around each other. That wasn't to say that Katie avoided all forms of PDA around him. Sometimes, he believed that she would purposely have a make-out session with James in front of him, just in spite.

"Listen," Kendall started, "I know that there's nothing that's going to happen between me and Lucy."

Camille rolled her eyes before returning her gaze at Katie. "So, I heard that you're stopping by the set tomorrow. Any reason why you're meeting with the producers of my show? I'm not getting canned, am I?"

Kendall knew that Camille was just being paranoid. Her t.v. show, _The Criteria_, he had heard, was increasing in ratings every week partly due to Camille's story arc on the show. He always believed that Camille was an incredibly talented actress and was finally glad that it was her time to shine.

Katie shook her head, grinning. "Nope. Nothing like that. In fact," her smile widened considerably, "your producers want to submit you for consideration for an Emmy nomination!"

Camille dropped her fork onto her plate and raised her hands to her mouth.

"Congratulations!" Kendall said as he patted the actress on the back.

"Oh my goodness," Camille breathed out. She quickly got to her feet, "I have to tell Logan." She ran out of the room to make the phone call to her boyfriend. If luck was on her side, Logan was hopefully in the on-call room trying to catch a few minutes of sleep.

For a relationship that was technically in re-bloom, Camille and Logan were facing the difficult challenge of working their relationship around their chaotic schedules. Kendall hoped that it would work out permanently this time for his friends; he had never seen Logan as happy as he was when he was with Camille.

"Well, with Camille up for an Emmy, that means that you guys are sitting with a small-screen nominee and a big-screen nominee," James added smugly.

"Way to _not_ make this about yourself, James." Katie stated sarcastically.

Though he would never admit it out loud, it was moments like these when he knew that James and Katie were perfect for each other. They didn't have to change who they were in order to please one another. James was still egocentric and Katie wouldn't put up with it.

"Besides, you said it," Carlos piped in, "you're just an Oscar nominee. You didn't actually win the award."

Kendall flinched as he saw James' smile drop. Katie slapped Carlos in the back of the head for his inconsideration. She turned to her boyfriend.

"There are definitely way more opportunities for you win one of those golden babies in the future," she placed her hand on his, and smiled reassuringly.

"Yeah, if my manager would find me some decent projects, or any project for that matter," James pouted.

"That's something that you have to discuss with Jack. How many times have I told you this?" Katie rolled her eyes.

Before leaving for her vacation, Katie had made Jack, one of her business associates, James' temporary manager. However, after coming back, the couple had mutually decided that they should keep their personal and professional lives separate so that they wouldn't step on each other's toes.

"You know he doesn't listen to me."

"Maybe he would if you stopped leaving stink-bombs in his office," Katie sighed in exasperation, returning to her dinner.

Kendall knew that James was still miffed about how Jack had tried to ask Katie out when they first met. To appease his friend's frustration, Kendall and the guys had been taking turns leaving homemade stink-bombs in Jack's office.

Kendall and Carlos awkwardly coughed into their hands. It was one thing to actually pull the prank on Jack, and another to let his sister find out that they had been helping James with it.

"So, I've been thinking about buying a car. Anyone want to help me choose one?" Kendall asked, trying to change the subject.

"I would!" Carlos grinned, but slumped down in his seat, right after. "But, I can't. I have to go to set and work with stupid Marka."

"Carlos, I told you. Marka was having a bad day. She apologized for throwing that chair at you, didn't she?" Katie groaned, setting her fork down again. "Just go home tonight, get some sleep, and tomorrow will be a better day."

Carlos scoffed, "Well, I would, but you and James keep me up with all your−"

"Who wants peas?" James shouted, interrupting Carlos.

Kendall raised an eyebrow. "We're eating spaghetti." He watched as Katie's face lit up like a burning flame, before it finally clicked in. He pushed his plate away. "Okay, I think I'm done, here."

* * *

A/N: Just a reminder that this story is AU and follows the Kucy relationship mentioned in _Hollywood Management_. Unlike the show, Lucy and Kendall did actually have time to foster their relationship. Don't get me wrong, I'm a strong supporter of Jendall, but I really feel that Lucy completely got the short end of the stick. She finally gets the guy only to lose him, quite literally, two seconds later.

Also, I had a hard time deciding who to bring back into Kendall's life between Jo and Lucy, but after considering his relationship with both, I wanted to branch off from my usual pairing of "first love=true love," so therefore, no Jo.

Like always, please share your thoughts with me and review! ;)

Love,

Dawnindanite


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey all! Hope you all enjoy the new chapter!

Thanks so much to my reviewers so far for this story: QuirkySmile, annabellex2, salifast32, paula, ArianamaslowBTR25, and Ellabeth! I know that some of you have been reviewing all of my works (chapter by chapter, and one-shots), and I just want to let you know how much it means to me that you would take your time to leave me a very sweet comment!

Warning: Chapter alludes to substance abuse.

Disclaimer: BTR is not mine

* * *

Kendall walked into the crowded restaurant, wishing that he had thought of making a reservation when he spotted a hand waving at him from a table. He smiled, and headed over.

"Hey. Wow, I can't believe that you managed to get a table," Kendall smiled again, hugging his companion.

"Yeah, well, I figured you would forget how things work in L.A., so I made the reservations for us," Lucy laughed teasingly.

Kendall looked around questioningly. "Where's Ryan?"

"With his grandparents. Yeah, my parents are visiting again. I would have invited them, but I didn't think that you wanted to deal with that whole shenanigan again."

The two of them laughed, remembering what had happened when Lucy's parents had visited while they both still lived at the Palm Woods.

"Luckily, they're too busy doting on Ryan to even register that I was leaving them for lunch. Mom's having the time of her life knitting sweaters and scarves for him. I think she forgets that we live in California," Lucy laughed again.

Kendall tilted his head, amazed at the person in front of him. "You've really changed. This is the happiest I've ever seen you."

Lucy shrugged, sipping her water. "What can I say? Motherhood's changed me. I mean, I will always love rock music, but Ryan's just...he's just..._everything_. I don't know how I survived without him before," she gushed lovingly, thinking about her child. "But, enough about me. What about you?"

"You know, nothing's really changed. I still have my friends and family. Life's pretty sweet," Kendall answered.

Kendall honestly felt that very little in his life has changed. If anything, it felt that his life had come round full circle. He and his friends were all living in the same city again; the only difference was that they were no longer a band. He was glad that they all had their own adventures to talk about, but even more glad that they still had each other to talk to about all their endeavours.

Lucy chuckled. "Same old Kendall, I see. Easy-going as always." She sighed contently, "It's so good to see you. You just remind me of times when things were going great. I mean, life is good now, but for a long while, I wasn't doing so hot."

Kendall reached for his glass of water, unsure of whether to ask his ex-girlfriend about her past. Never having the best pokerface, Lucy saw right through him.

"I know you want to ask me what happened," she sat back, crossing her arms, shooting Kendall an amused smirk.

"Well," Kendall shrugged, feigning modesty, "I didn't want to seem imposing."

Lucy laughed. "Somehow with you guys, it seems pretty natural, but endearing," she added. "Anyway, for a couple of years, after I moved to New York, I made some pretty bad decisions. My record company decided that I needed to not only have a 'bad girl' onstage persona, but be an actual 'bad girl' in my personal life as well. So, I started to go out dancing and drinking, almost every night it seemed. I would go to work completely hungover."

Kendall listened intently as Lucy weaved her story, taking in the dark anguish that seemed to cloud her eyes.

Lucy sighed, and hailed the waitress so that they could order their meals. After the waitress departed, she turned her attention back to Kendall.

"That wasn't even the worst of it. One night, I met a guy. Not Ryan's father, but someone else who led me to him, and to a whole bunch of other things." She sighed again, and the dark look returned even more intensely. "It started with what seemed like small things like Weed and Ecstasy every now and then. But then I met Linton, Ryan's father. He was really sweet at first; constantly taking me out, buying me things, overall just paying attention to me. You have to understand that during this time period, I was at an all time low in my career. The label was threatening to let me go, so when Linton began to take care of me, I let him." She paused again, "I don't even know how it happened. No, that's a lie. I know exactly how it happened. Linton began to use."

Kendall frowned, "Use? Wait, like..." he trailed off.

Lucy nodded. "Cocaine and Heroine. Yeah." She remained silent as the waitress returned with their orders.

Kendall pensively stared at his lunch date. "You started too, didn't you?"

It took a moment before Lucy nodded. "It was completely stupid and reckless of me. But, at that moment, all I could think of was how I couldn't lose him. If all it took was for me to put some stupid substances in me, so be it. I couldn't let something like that come between us. I thought he was the love of my life."

Kendall nodded. "When did you...how did you..." He wasn't sure how to phrase the next question.

"When did I stop being an idiot and clean up my act? It took me about half a year, and at this point, I was even contemplating suicide. I knew it was only days before the record company would fire me because I had gotten into a fight with the paparazzi, and Linton was always so far gone that it was all about the drugs for him. My family had no idea what was happening with me; I had cut off all contact with them, and my friends...well, at that point, I really had no friends. But then, I was given a second chance," Lucy smiled in reminiscence. "I found out I was pregnant. Suddenly, all I could think of was this baby, this little life that was going to be my responsibility, and I loved the idea of it. That night, I went back to the hovel of an apartment to tell Linton, to give him that second chance that was bestowed on me, but when I saw him, passed out on the couch, I knew I had to leave. I wrote him a note telling him that I was pregnant, and that I was leaving for good. So I got out. Moved back out here, checked into a rehab centre, and eventually built up the nerve to call up my family, and made sure that I had the healthiest baby that I could have. It was, is, hard. I still wake up at night thinking about my time during rehab; the detoxification was a nightmare. I can't believe that I wanted, needed, to complete myself with all that crap, and sometimes, when I watch Ryan sleep, I think of how I could very well be dead by now. But, I'm just thankful that my family forgave for everything that I put them through," Lucy ended her tragic tale with a grateful smile.

Kendall nodded, "They've always loved you," he said as he remembered the encounter that he had with Lucy's parents in their youth.

Lucy fondly smiled back at him. "Absolutely, and lucky for me, they love Ryan just as much, if not more."

"And Ryan's dad?"

Lucy shook her head, "I haven't heard a single word from him. I don't even know if he's dead or alive," she said frankly. "I gave him a chance to clean up his act and be part of Ryan's life, but he chose his path and I chose mine."

Kendall held up his water glass, "Well, here's to you and Ryan." They clinked their glasses. Kendall sipped his drink and shot Lucy a meaningful look, "You are absolutely amazing, Lucy. Not everyone would have done what you had done for Ryan."

Lucy bashfully looked down; a rare occurrence. She recovered and picked up her fork to grin across the table, "Shall we?"

* * *

"Let's hustle, boys!" Kendall shouted, as the team formed a circle around him. He looked down at his clipboard. "Your times have definitely improved. O'Reilly, you've cut down a full two seconds. Excellent. Okay, looks like we're done for the day. You guys can head out."

As the team slowly made their way off the ice, Kendall pulled one of the team members back. "Conners, what's with you today? You added an extra five seconds to your time."

"I know, I'm sorry. I wasn't into practice, my head was still stuck at home with my wife. We had a really bad argument."

Kendall nodded his head. He'd been there before. "You want to talk about it?"

Conners shook his head. "Naw, it's fine. Sorry again, coach," he added before he left.

Kendall rubbed the back of his head, still in disbelief that he was a coach on an NHL team. Granted, all he did so far were training circuits and the likes of, the team generally respected him, even if some of the players were older and had more experience than him. Kendall smiled to himself, thinking of how lucky he was, as he slowly started the clean up of pylons and training gear.

By the time that Kendall finished up all the paperwork, he was sure that he was the last to leave the arena. He made his way to his newly purchased BMW, when he spotted one of the players standing by his car in the nearly empty parking lot.

"Hayden? What are you still doing here?" Kendall asked in confusion. Hayden was one of the youngest players on the team, newly drafted and still often benched, but Kendall recognized the starring potential that the hockey player had.

Hayden smiled sheepishly up at Kendall. "It's this dump of a car. Had it with me since high school, and I really couldn't let it go, but I think it's time, the engine completely died on me."

Kendall gestured to his car. "Do you need a ride anywhere?"

"My sister is actually nearby, already called her."

The blonde coach sat down on the hood of the car, "Mind if I keep you company?"

"Be my guest. Hey, do you mind me asking how you became an assistant coach? I mean," Hayden flushed, "it's just that you're so young."

Kendall laughed, but divulged into an enthusiastic conversation about hockey with the younger man. They had kept conversation until they saw headlights approach them from a distance. The car pulled to a stop and an attractive brunette stepped out of the car.

"Hayden! I'm so sorry I'm late! There was an emergency dog situation back at the office."

Hayden shrugged it off, "It's cool. My coach kept me company." He nodded in Kendall's direction.

When the brunette turned her attention to Kendall, he tilted his head and quirked his eyebrows. There was something familiar about the woman standing in front of him.

She gave him a similar expression as they studied one another.

Kendall stuck out a hand, "Hi, I'm Kendall."

Placing a name to his face, recognition dawned on her face. "Kendall! Of course! It's me, Bev Hill." She grabbed Kendall's outstretched hand to shake.

Kendall's expression cleared up as well. Beverly Hill was one of James' past acquaintances; the most recent to be more exact. Kendall had met her once a few months ago, when Katie managed to get the guys and him out to Malibu for a weekend. It was also the weekend that James had ended the just-bloomed relationship with Beverly.

Hayden passed a confused look between the two. "You guys know each other?"

Beverly and Kendall exchanged amused grins. "We've met."

Katie had told Kendall how she had run into Beverly and had an awkward but enlightening conversation with her. Kendall knew that his sister regretted hurting Beverly in the process of getting together with James. If James hadn't felt so strongly about Katie, he would have wholeheartedly supported his relationship with Beverly. She would have been a fresh dose of something new that would have done James some good. But as fate would have it, James' strongest connection with the opposite gender had to be with Kendall's sister.

Kendall didn't even realize that he and Beverly had been sharing goofy grins until Hayden let out a cough to dispel his feeling of discomfort.

Beverly blinked, "Sorry! Hayden, you ready to go?" She moved back towards her car, still throwing glances at Kendall under a faint blush.

Hayden nodded before leaning down to grab his gym bag. "Hey, thanks for hanging around, coach. I'll see you at practice tomorrow?"

Kendall nodded, "Absolutely, and no problem." He flashed a dimpled grin at Beverly, "It was nice seeing you again, Bev."

Beverly smiled, eyes twinkling. "Yeah, nice seeing you, too. Thanks for watching out for my baby bro."

They both chuckled as Hayden groaned into his hands, slouching into the passenger seat.

Kendall waved, "See you around some time, maybe?"

"Yeah, absolutely," Beverly replied, smiling softly. She returned his wave before hopping into her car.

As Kendall watched the siblings drive off, he started to groan, knowing that he was attracted to James' old fling. "Don't do anything stupid, Knight," he muttered to himself, heading to his car.

* * *

A/N: What? Bev returns to the story?! Haha, I seriously cannot let this character go, she's just so wholesome, I had to bring her back, definitely allows for creative juices to flow. ;)

Also, even though I am Canadian, and do enjoy watching the game (you know, when there's no lockout), I know very little of the inside workings of hockey, so please bear with me as I awkwardly stumble through the inclusions of the sport throughout the story!

So, I've mentioned above how I wanted to thank my reviewers, but I haven't forgotten about you subscribers and readers in general! Thanks so much for taking your time to read what I have written!

Please, leave a review! I really do thrive when I am able to read your comments about my stories. They really do mean a lot to me!

Anyway, I hope you guys liked it!

Love,

Dawnindanite


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Hey Readers! I know, it's only been less than a week since I've updated, but it is a special occasion! It's the one year anniversary of _Hollywood Management_! I can't believe that a year has flown by so quickly. Thank you so much for supporting all of my work the BTR fandom this past year. You guys have definitely been very welcoming. I can't believe that HM has reached over 200 reviews and 100 favs, honestly, I am so humbled (I really danced around crazy when I reached each milestone!)

Thanks to all who have reviewed Hollywood Coaching so far! The comments I get are so sweet, they really make me so thrilled. Please continue to do so! I love you all!

Let's get to the story!

Disclaimer: Big Time Rush is not mine

* * *

James and Katie had decided to take Kendall out to dinner to his favourite Italian restaurant, _Giancarlo's_. After returning from a scrumptious meal, they sat him down on the couch and faced him with identical nervous glances.

"Okay, you've fattened me up. What's the problem?" He widened his eyes and sat up a little straighter, glaring at Katie. "You're not pregnant are you?"

"What? Of course not, don't be stupid," Katie responded indignantly. Kendall let out a sigh of relief, but soured his face again when Katie added, "I'm on the pill."

"Katie!" James hissed warningly.

She shrugged apologetically at him.

"So, what is it?" Kendall asked, suspense rising quickly, dismissing his sister's add-on because he knew it was just her way of riling him up.

James grabbed Katie's hand, but stared at Kendall straight on. "I've asked Katie to move in with me."

"Well, actually, he got Carlos to go about in a convoluted way of asking," she frowned slightly at James who returned a grin. "But, I've agreed," Katie added.

Kendall pursed his lips and slumped back, letting his head fall onto the couch so that he was looking up at the ceiling.

"But, it's only temporary," he heard Katie add. "It's only because Carlos wants to get out of the house, at least until his movie ends. Then he's going to look for a place of his own, and then I'm back!"

Kendall leaned up again. "Why does Carlos need to move out of James' mansion? There's so much room there."

He watched as the couple in front of him shared a sheepish look. "Oh, I don't want to know, do I?"

Katie shrugged again and smiled at her big brother. "So, what do you say, Kendall?" She enlarged her big brown eyes and gave him the puppy-dog face that got him every time she used it. He really had to learn how to immunize himself from his sister's adorable pleading face.

Although he would have agreed anyway, being unable to reject his sister's sweet face, he was reminded of something when he looked upon James' anxious visage. "I'll agree to this temporary move, but only if James does something for me."

James' hazel eyes lit up. "Whatever it is, you name it, buddy."

"I want you to give me Bev's number," Kendall stated starkly.

James stared at Kendall in blank confusion, clearly forgetting who Beverly was. Katie smirked knowingly at Kendall, but when she glanced at James to see his reaction, she rolled her eyes at her boyfriend's cluelessness.

She prodded him with her elbow. "Beverly. As in girl who reminded you of me."

James remained puzzled for a few seconds longer before remembering. "Oh! The vet! Oh!" He added again, finally putting two and two together. "Yeah, sure. And just to let you know that I'm totally cool with it, I'm disregarding the ex-girlfriend code."

Katie snorted, "I don't think three days with one girl qualifies her to be an ex-girlfriend, but I guess in your standards, that's like a lifetime of commitment."

James grinned, throwing an arm around Katie. "Am I sensing a hint of jealousy?"

"No!" Katie huffed, getting to her feet. "I have work to do." She leaned over to Kendall and pecked him on the cheek. "Love you, big brother."

Kendall gave her a pat on the arm, before Katie made her way to her study.

James continued to cheekily grin at Katie before she disappeared from sight. "So," he started, returning his attention to his blond best friend. "Beverly, huh? How did that happen?"

"Turns out, she's Hayden Hill's older sister. We ran into each other today and things just kind of clicked," Kendall replied abashedly.

"Oh, yeah, I remember her saying something about a younger brother in the NHL. I guess I just never made the connection." He took a sip of water before continuing. "Wait, I thought you were starting to date Lucy again?"

Kendall shook his head. "I never said I was dating Lucy. We're just two people catching up. That's all."

Something about his facial expression must have said otherwise for James to say, "You're seeing her again, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Kendall relented. "But, it's not what you think. It really is just us trying to get to know each other again. I mean, she was one of our closest friends at The Palm Woods."

"True," James agreed.

Trying to steer clear of this conversation, Kendall retuned to the issue at hand. "So, you've asked my _baby sister_ to move in with you?"

James winced. "Yeah, about that..." he trailed off, looking at Kendall's unamused expression. He sighed, "Listen, I know how it seems from your perspective, I mean, we've only been dating for a few months, but it feels right with Katie, you know?" James stared dreamily at the door to Katie's study. "I just want her with me all the time. I don't think I've ever been this happy well, since we've been a band. Don't get me wrong, I love my career and everything, I think I just missed you guys too much to really enjoy it, and Katie...Katie just makes everything a thousand times better."

Kendall smirked. "Wow, you really are too charming for words." James tossed a throw pillow at his head. "But, thank you for that. It's good to know that she's in good hands. That's not to say that Katie can't take care of herself, but I think she genuinely wants you to be around." He chuckled at James' grin hearing that Katie enjoyed his company too.

James took another sip of water and looked meaningfully at Kendall. "I love her."

"I know."

* * *

"So, thanks for a really nice evening, Kendall. I had a really good time."

Kendall flashed his familiar dimpled grin at Beverly, who took his breath away with her infectious smile.

"Well, thanks for humouring me. Somehow, I didn't really expect an emergency animal rescue, but you performed admirably," he replied, watching as she unbuckled herself.

"Well, when duty calls..." Beverly feigned modesty before sharing a quick laugh with the assistant coach. "I would invite you in for coffee, but some people would take that as some sort of implication, and I'm just not that kind of girl. However, do you want to come in for tea?"

Kendall grinned again. He did want to continue the remarkably ambling conversations they've been having all night. While he had his best friends to talk to again, he missed having that deep connection with one particular person. Kendall was lucky to have found really significant partners at a younger age, but over time, he found that he had lost that ability to find a person that he could really talk to. Perhaps he had stopped looking for a while, but seeing all his friends find their potential soulmate, he wanted to start on the journey to find his own again. Regarding Beverly closely, Kendall believed that she had a very high chance of being that someone for him.

"I'd love to. Just let me call my sister and tell her not to wait up." He glanced up quickly when he realized that he had brought Katie up. Kendall had tried avoiding talking about his sister all night in case it brought up some negative reaction from Beverly, considering that James had jilted her for Katie.

Beverly chuckled. "Hey, it's okay to bring up Katie. I mean, it'd be pretty hard not to considering she's your sister. Besides, I only went out on a couple of dates with James, it's not like it was anything serious," she squinted her eyes, "unless you think it's weird that I dated your friend and now this, " she gestured her hand between them.

Kendall laughed, shaking his head. "Trust me. I'm really not worried about that. I just thought it would be weird for you in case you have to meet James and Katie again."

Beverly shrugged her shoulders. "It'd probably be weird at first, but I think we'd completely get over it after a few more meetings."

Kendall smirked. "So, you think there's something here that might work? For you to meet up with James and Katie a few times."

Beverly blushed prettily in the dim light, shaking her head so that her hair curtained her face. "I mean...I just thought..."

Kendall chuckled, leaning over to tuck some of her hair behind her ear. "I would love it if we had the chance to run into them together."

Beverly smiled. Deciding not to wait until they said their good-nights, Kendall leaned in a placed a chaste kiss on her lips. He smiled slightly when the willowy brunette took her time to open her blue eyes.

"I think I want you to kiss me again," Beverly breathed out, causing Kendall to chuckle again.

"I like your style," he replied before once again sealing her lips in a gentle kiss.

* * *

A/N: Well, Kendall's finally getting some action! There was obviously a time skip between the two scenes in this chapter, but like I said, HC will be moving much faster than HM. Also, I love the fact that so many of you have responded so positively to Bev; like others with OC's, Bev is my precious baby lol.

Please let me know what you think of the story! It's so good to hear from you guys!

Once again, thank you so much for supporting this story arc for the past year. I love you all!

Much Love,

Dawnindanite


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Phew! Sorry for the delay. I keep adding to the story, and forgetting to edit the chapters so I can post.

[QuirkySmile]: Thanks for loving Bev so much. It really is fun to create my own dynamic character, but it's really responses like yours that help develop her.

[Flutegirl0422]: Thank you so much for reading the Hollywood series. Couldn't have done it without your support! :)

[peteythepirate]: I was trying to keep it hush-hush, but I guess it's pretty obvious; yes, I am planning on writing a Carlos companion to the series. However, it may a ways away until anything is written.

Big thanks to those who continue to join me in this journey!

Disclaimer: BTR is not mine

* * *

Kendall had thought that he had returned home at a very uncomely hour, but Katie walked through the doors ten minutes behind him.

"Kendall!" Katie cried out in surprise. "What are you doing here?"

Kendall smirked. "I live here," he replied completely deadpan.

Katie narrowed her eyes. "I meant, why are you home? I thought you were spending the night with Beverly." She gave him a roguish wink.

"First, don't ever wink at me again, it creeps me out. Second, I said I was coming home late, not not coming home at all. And third, why are you getting in so late?" Kendall replied, marking his points by holding up his fingers.

Katie scowled. "I happened to be hanging out with Cam. She was feeling a little low because Logan had to take another night shift." She plopped herself down on the couch. "So, why aren't you still with Beverly?"

"Um, because it's normal for a first date," Kendall raised his eyebrows in disbelief, before crossing his arms and scrutinizing his sister. "Why? What kind of first dates have you been on?"

Katie got up and punched Kendall on the arm. "That's for calling me slutty. And come on, how could I not jump to conclusions when you tell me not to wait up?" She returned to her seat. "Was it weird? I mean with the whole 'James and me' thing?"

"Nope, in fact, she was really cool about it. You're right, she is a very likeable person," Kendall stated, joining her on the couch.

Katie sighed. "I know, right? I couldn't hate her even if I tried."

"You tried hating her?" Kendall asked in confusion.

"Yes! She was so perfect, and going out with James," Katie scowled again. "Not that I was jealous."

"Of course," Kendall replied, knowing that his sister was terribly jealous of Beverly.

Katie cocked her head. "I just realized, isn't it weird that you're seeing her?"

"No. Why would it be weird?"

"Because James said that he only dated her because she reminded him of me," Katie responded.

"Wow, that's gross." Kendall said, making a disgusted face. "No, I'm not dating her because she reminds me of you. She's very much unlike you. She's sweet and nice, and money really isn't at the top of her priorities. Oh, and she actually likes her brother."

Katie sat up, "Hey, I like you. I only stick it to you because I'm fairly certain that it's in the codebook for little sisters. I shouldn't really break any traditions should I?" Katie said matter-of-factly. "And I don't _love_ money. I just happen to be very ambitious, which in turn makes me garner more income than the average person...okay, fine, I love money, happy?" Katie relented.

Kendall laughed. "Katie, I knew you had a deep love for the green when you were two and made me and the guys build you a lemonade stand after you saw the girls do it on that one t.v. show."

"So? Everyone has a lemonade stand once in their lifetime. It's completely normal."

"Yeah, not when they're two," Kendall stated, causing Katie to shrug.

"Whatever. I should probably head off to bed and you should too. We're meeting up with the guys for brunch. I hope you had a good night with Beverly. Are you going to see her again?" Katie asked as she headed to her bedroom.

Kendall smiled warmly, "I think so. I had a good time. Night, baby sister."

"G'night, Kendall."

It was a few minutes longer before Kendall realized that he was smiling to himself, thinking about Beverly.

* * *

A game of rock-paper-scissors determined who would drive to the diner for brunch. Katie pouted the whole way sitting in the passenger seat.

"I still think you cheated," she mumbled, staring out the window.

"I don't cheat, baby sister," Kendall chuckled. He raised a hand to ruffle her hair affectionately. "Oh, come on, how often do I actually get to drive you anywhere? Think of it as us making up for our younger years."

Katie snorted, "Yeah, you would have had more time driving me places if you decided to get your driver's licence earlier than say, what was it again, at the age of twenty-one! I had to learn how to drive from James."

"There was really no point in me learning how to drive! The rest of the guys all had their licences and I was always with one of them! It was really only once I went away for college that it really mattered." Kendall tried explaining himself. Logically, he thought that he really didn't need to waste energy learning to drive at an early age, not when he was so busy with the band. Carlos, Logan, and James however, saw it as a moment of liberation. Logan was the only one to get his learner's permit while they still presided in Minnesota, he and the others decided to get it once they were really settled into Los Angeles.

Katie simply frowned at Kendall but was distracted by an incoming text message. "It's Carlos. He says that he's starving and that he's ready to devour the whole restaurant, so we better step on it." Katie peered up at Kendall, "Great, now we're going to starve because you drive like a grandpa."

"Will you relax? We're almost there, and Carlos is not going to eat the restaurant," Kendall assured Katie as his sister grew alarming agitated. "And I do not drive like a 'grandpa.' I stick to the speed limit." Katie snorted in response but physically lit up when she spotted the diner up ahead. "See, I told you we were close," he added, gesturing to the restaurant.

Katie practically growled at Kendall all the way into the restaurant, where they saw the guys occupy one of the familiar booths. Katie slid in next to James who greeted her with a quick peck on the lips. Kendall sat down beside Carlos who shoved the menus at them.

"What took you guys so long? I'm so hungry."

"Why don't you ask Speedy Gonzalez there?" Katie replied sarcastically, eyeing Kendall with contempt.

Logan sucked in his breath from the other side of James, "Was he driving below the speed limit again?"

The rest of them laughed as Kendall scowled at Logan.

"Hey, Logan, where's Cam? I thought she said that she'd be here this morning," Katie asked.

"She got called in to re-shoot a scene." Logan responded from behind tired eyes.

"You know, you didn't have to come here with us. You could catch up on your sleep." Katie said, looking worriedly at Logan's obvious exhaustion.

Kendall knew that Katie had a unique relationship with Logan, often looking up at him like a surrogate father. As much as Kendall took care of Katie, he would always be her big brother. But Logan tended to Katie's needs that were usually fulfilled by a father-figure. He was the one that made sure that all of Katie's homework was done and constantly monitored Katie's healthcare, as well as involve her the least in their schemes and antics as they were growing up. Kendall was glad that the guys alleviated some of the duties that he felt he had to play for Katie, it simply made it easier for him to only be Katie's older brother.

Logan shook his head, "Nah. I haven't seen you guys in so long, felt like I had to. But, don't worry, the second that we're done here, I'm going to go home and crash for the next twelve or so hours."

Carlos studied Logan pensively, something that the others at the table were hardly used to. "So, with you and Camille working like this, when do you guys actually have time to hang out together?"

They all turned to the waitress who had arrived at their table to take their orders, before resuming dialogue.

Logan sighed, "It's tough, really. But, we're remaining optimistic, Filming is about to end for Camille this season, and I'm hoping that with all the nightshifts I've been doing lately, they'll give me some regular hours, that way she and I will finally have time to spend together. Luckily, we decided that I should move in straight away into her place instead of me staying at James' mansion or else we probably would have only seen each other a handful of times since I moved out here."

His companions all nodded in agreement. Katie had told Kendall about the brief decision that Logan and Camille had made for Logan to stay with James at least until the scandal between Camille and one of her Hollywood relationships died down. Her partner had cheated on her with one of his co-stars and was now receiving backlash from the media for stunting one of Hollywood's sweet up-and-comers. It was because that Camille was so loved by the public, that she was able to start a relationship with someone else so soon after the unfortunate incident with Caleb. Katie's management team and Camille's PR person were still working hard to try to conceal Logan's identity so that they were able to have some sort of private life before their relationship headlined entertainment gossip.

James slew an arm around Logan, "Listen, if you ever want 'The Doctor of Love' to step in, just say the word and I'm there. I can probably arrange for Camille's character to be killed off or something, that way she would have more free time to spend with you."

Katie punched James in the arm while Logan slapped him in the back of his head.

"Ow!" James cried, holding on to both injuries causing Carlos and Kendall to laugh. "What was that for?"

Katie growled. "You idiot. You are not going to get Cam fired from her show. Logan and Cam are adults, they'll figure it out on their own. I can't believe you would even suggest that," she said, shaking her head at her boyfriend's idea.

James slid a little closer to Logan as he eyed Katie. "You're hungry, aren't you?"

"Starving! Where's the food?" She shouted with eyes wide and slamming the table.

For a girl who recently suffered from malnutrition, Katie was scarily aggressive when hungry. Kendall pushed one of Logan's plates of toast towards her. Watching the thin girl devour the bread out of the corner of their eyes, the boys decided to restart conversation.

"So, when Katie moves in with James, does that mean that I get her bedroom?" Carlos asked Kendall, pushing a napkin towards Katie, hinting that she might want to wipe the jelly that smeared across her face.

James chuckled adoringly, grabbing the napkin to do it for her while she continued eating. Kendall was half disgusted and half satisfied to see James taking care of his sister.

Kendall turned to his friend beside him. "I get Katie's room. I'll just move my stuff into her room and you get the guest room."

"Why? Isn't it simpler if I just moved directly into her room without you having to move at all?" Carlos whined.

The waitress arrived at the table interrupting their conversation momentarily.

Kendall shook some pepper onto his eggs as he answered, "I'm her brother. It's only fair that I get the master bedroom in the condo. Besides, you've stayed in the guest room before, why can't you just do it again?"

Carlos pouted, chewing his breakfast. "The master bedroom has the en suite bathroom."

Logan frowned. "You do realize that with only two people living in the apartment means that you get one of the bathrooms to yourself, right? It doesn't matter if you get Katie's room or not."

Carlos looked at Logan. "Good point. Okay, you get Katie's bedroom."

Katie finally spoke up, after satisfying her appetite. "You guys realize that this is only temporary, right? I'll be moving back as soon as Carlos finds a place of his own. Oh, strawberries," she grinned, distracted by her food again.

Kendall caught James and Carlos sharing a significant look, causing him to think that there was actually more to the story than Katie knew.

Logan cleared his throat, "So, when are you guys doing the big move?"

"Soon," James replied quickly. "Katie just needs to box up her belongings before we can do anything. Kendall and Carlos are still basically living out of their suitcases for some reason, so it'll be easy to move their things."

Katie snorted unattractively, "I'll pack up my things when you decide to move all of your products out of the bathroom."

James frowned, "You know that I need my 'Cuda products in the morning. Do you want me to walk around with limp hair all day?"

"It'd be fine by me. I can't even brush my teeth without endangering myself with the toxic fumes in that room. You don't even use half the stuff you own," Katie responded, angrily wiping her mouth with a serviette.

"That's a lie. I use everything I have," James glared.

Katie stood. "Fine. If you can't get rid of your products, then I'm not moving in!" She turned on her heels and stomped to the door. She turned around at the last minute with one arm down her purse in search of her wallet. Giving up after a long struggle, she shouted at James, "Pay for my breakfast!" She promptly threw open the door to leave.

"Katie!" James shouted, ignoring all the looks that the whole diner was giving the shouting couple. He struggled out of the booth and quickly reached into his pocket to pull out some cash to slap it on the table. "Here." He glared at Kendall and furiously shouted, "Your sister's impossible!" He stormed out of the restaurant after Katie.

Kendall chuckled awkwardly as the diner patrons all stared at the remaining people in their booth. "Hey, sorry about that. What's an argument between a couple, right?"

They all shook their heads at him, before returning to their meals.

Kendall looked pointedly at Logan and Carlos. "And they want to move in together?"

Logan calmly sipped his coffee, unable to answer him.

Carlos shrugged before biting into his waffle. "It's Katie-cakes and James. If they didn't argue with each other, the Earth would stop moving."

* * *

A/N: Ah, and temperamental Katie returns. I really do love writing her tantrum scenes; she's never embarrassed about causing a scene in public. And that whole thing about her being unable to find her wallet...I always find myself in that situation; the hazards of carrying a giant purse around.

Also, after re-watching a few episodes to refresh my memory on Jatie interactions, has anyone ever realized that James says Katie's name a lot (apart from the Knight family)? I'm convinced that if BTR continued until Katie reached adulthood, Jatie would be canon.

And writing Kendall is much more difficult than I expected, just because his character is already so developed in the show. It's hard not to make him seem out-of-character, but hopefully, the whole smitten scene seems plausible.

Like always, drop a review! Feed my appetite, please?

Love,

D


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: So sorry! Apart from life getting in the way, I've been trying to get over this nasty cold that refuses to go away...seriously, it's been weeks now. Anyway, thanks so much for those who have left comments, they mean so much to me. 3

Disclaimer: I don't own BTR

* * *

After the eventful brunch with the gang, Carlos had to go back to work, leaving Kendall and Logan to hang out. Seeing his friend struggling to keep his eyes open, Kendall urged the doctor to go home and sleep.

Logan shook his head, "I just want to talk about something, first."

"Oh, okay, what is it?" Kendall asked.

"It's about me and Camille. Obviously you know the situation with us. Do you think it was dumb of me to move in so quickly with her? When we made the decision to move in together, we were only thinking of how great it'd be, but we clearly didn't factor in the long hours that Camille has or the fact that my schedule is as temperamental as a teenage girl. I don't know, do you think maybe we should hold off on this relationship until we stabilize our work lives first? Then maybe have a go at it again? We should probably cut our losses sooner rather than later." Logan said, clearly frustrated with his predicament.

Kendall sighed, thinking about how pessimistic Logan was being about his relationship with Camille. He, just like everyone else, knew that the couple were extremely happy together; happier together than they were apart. However, Kendall was also aware of how cautious Logan tended to be if he realized that there was a great risk factor. Unlike Katie, Logan didn't decide things on his own, he usually sought for advice before making any rash decisions. Always looking at things through a scientific lens, Logan wanted to justify all of his decisions based on logic.

"Logan, I've been through this too, it's what happens with dating in Hollywood. As a couple, you have to decide how badly you want this, and if you and Camille want this relationship to work, which I know you do, you just have to learn how to get through this. You have to ask yourself if it's really worth it to spend some time together, whatever that amount may be, or not at all," Kendall counselled wisely. "Who's to say that if you guys break up now that you'll get back together later? Either one or both of you could find someone new."

"But I don't want someone else," Logan replied quickly, talking with his hands. "I really like Camille," he paused thoughtfully. "After all these years, she's the one that I think I can spend the rest of my life with, you know?"

Kendall slapped a hand onto Logan's shoulder. "Then I think you have your answer, buddy. Now go home and sleep, when you wake up, you'll know what to do. Love science, remember?" He joked, causing Logan to grin as they both remembered Logan's crazy antics in the past.

* * *

"Wow, this is something that I'd rather not have to see. Ever," Kendall stated with wide eyes as he stepped into his shared condo with Katie. "I'm guessing that the fight is over?"

Katie smirked, as she pulled herself off from James' lap, her lips remarkably puffier than usual. She smoothed out her shirt, clearing her throat. "It wasn't a fight, it was just a minor argument. Nothing, really. Right, James?" She looked at her boyfriend who was slowly fixing his mussed hair.

"Uh, what? Ow!" He grabbed his foot that Katie had stomped on. "What was that for?"

Katie glared at him with her hands on her hips. "You weren't paying attention to our conversation."

"Well, how could I? You were just on my lap! Excuse me if the blood flow to my brain isn't normal yet," the singer-actor replied, standing up.

His answer caused Katie to smirk again. "You have a brain?"

"Erm, hello. Still here," Kendall interrupted, unsure at how the two in front of him were romantically involved. He had never seen a couple argue so constantly in his life, apart from his parents. The only difference was that these two were still willing to be together. "So you two just make-out or argue? Is that it?" He said, hoping that the sarcasm was apparent. He caught James smirking to himself, and realized what was going on in his best friend's head. "Don't even think about that while I'm in the room, James!" He warned.

Katie rolled her eyes, catching on to her brother's threat. "Get your head out of the gutter, both of you! And our relationship is more than making out and arguing. We have civilized conversations, too! Sometimes, even more than once a day."

James grinned, swinging an arm around her, "Yep, and we'll have much more of them once she moves in next week."

Kendall, who made his way towards them, enlarged his eyes again. "Next week? Just two hours ago, you guys were duking it out about it in front of the whole restaurant!" Kendall felt the need to remind them about their embarrassing scene at the diner.

His sister shrugged, "Yeah, but we talked it out. And...well, I was overreacting a little bit. It happens sometimes, I think I may be watching a little too much of Camille's work; she's very influential."

"So...how did this come about?" Kendall asked, still confused at how quickly the situation diffused.

"Well, after much consideration, Katie has managed to persuade me to keep half of my products in the hallway closet."

Kendall lifted an eyebrow. "Persuaded how?" He crossed his arms.

"With words!" James replied. "She said that since she was moving in, it was only fair that she gets half the space in the bathroom. Being the logical person that I am," James frowned at the identical snorts from the siblings, but continued, "I agreed."

"Don't you mean that you were afraid that I was going to reject this whole entire idea altogether?" Katie asked him.

"Well, that too," James replied quietly, wrapping both arms around her. "I really don't want us to be apart, is that so bad?"

Kendall rolled his eyes at his friend, and sister. "There really is no in-between with you guys, is there? It's either hot or cold with you two. I don't know if that's exactly healthy or not," he said as he headed towards his room.

He stopped as Katie's phone vibrated from the dining table, being the closest, he grabbed it for her and chucked it at her, causing her to fumble with it.

"Nice, Kendall." She peered down at the text message. "Ugh. It's Carlos and Marka, _again_! I cannot wait until this film is over and I don't ever have to deal with them at the same time. If you think that we're bad," she gestured to her and James, "you should see these two. I have never seen Carlos this angry my whole life. And that includes the times when you guys would purposely hide his helmet from him. Anyway, now I gotta go down to the studio and deal with this crisis. I'll see you two later." She pecked James on the lips and headed out the door.

Kendall waved goodbye to his sister and stared at James who was still standing in the living room.

James casually placed his hands into his jean pockets. "So, wanna play the newest _Galactic Battle_?"

Kendall grinned. "I get the wireless platinum controller!"

* * *

"So, you know that you don't have to sit here with me, right? You could've waited in the car, I wouldn't have minded; I would have brought him over to meet you." Lucy flashed a sideways grin at Kendall.

"Nah, this is where all the fun is. Check that kid out, he reminds me of Carlos when we were this age," Kendall said as he gestured to a child eating sand by the playground. "Besides, I'm too excited to meet Ryan. He sounds like an awesome kid."

Lucy smiled affectionately thinking about her son. "He really is. I guess it's because he has such a great mom." She brushed off some imaginary dust off her shoulders.

Kendall laughed, knocking her slightly with his shoulder.

Lucy stood up suddenly and waved to a child that came out of the daycare centre doors. "Hey, there he is."

Kendall stood up as well and studied all the children. He finally spotted a child with light brown hair and a wide-grin adorned on his face as he ran towards his mom.

"Mommy! Mommy!" He hugged Lucy's legs, peering at Kendall curiously.

Lucy laughed and bent down. "Hey, Ryan. Did you have a good day?"

The little boy nodded, still watching Kendall. Lucy smiled up at Kendall. "Ryan, can you say hi to my friend Kendall? We were friends from a long time ago. He came here today just to see you."

Kendall took that as his cue to greet Lucy's son. He bent down as well so he was eye level with the two-year old. "Hi, Ryan. It's so good to meet you." He looked down at the still-silent child's shirt and saw a picture of race car. "Do you like race cars?"

Ryan finally grinned at Kendall, flashing his little teeth and nodded vigorously. "Fast cars."

Kendall dramatically looked side to side and gestured to Ryan to come in a little closer, as if he were letting him on a secret. "Don't tell anyone, but I think I have a car that you'd like to see."

Ryan's eyes lit up, causing Lucy and Kendall to smile at each other. "Weally? Where? Fast?"

Kendall nodded solemnly. "Yeah, it's fast. I have it here. You wanna see it?"

Ryan nodded quickly. He squirmed out of Lucy's arms to tug on Kendall's hand. "Show me!"

Kendall laughed, happily following the child. He saw Lucy stand up to join them out of the corner of his eye.

"Where car?" Ryan looked up at Kendall expectantly as they got to the parking lot.

Kendall gently pulled Ryan along as he said, "It's right over here." They walked for another minute, before stopping in front of Kendall's BMW.

Ryan's jaw dropped, "Whoa!" He exclaimed. He looked up at Kendall and gleefully asked, "I touch it?"

Kendall chuckled and unlocked the doors. "I'll do you one better, how would you like to sit in the driver's seat for a bit?"

Ryan jumped up and down, squealing. He looked at Lucy who walked behind them the whole time. "Mommy?"

Lucy smiled, "Sure."

Kendall opened the passenger door, seating himself down before he pulled Ryan across his lap to sit at the wheel.

The little boy giggled, having to sit on his knees to see over the dashboard. Lucy and Kendall watched as Ryan made loud vrooming noises while holding onto the steering wheel.

Kendall suddenly grabbed onto the dashboard. "Whoa, you're going so fast, Ryan! Watch out for that car!" He yelled, pretending that the little boy was actually driving.

Ryan giggled, and made even louder vrooming noises to indicate his acceleration.

Lucy squinted down at Kendall, standing outside the open passenger side door. "Thanks for doing this."

"It's no problem. I remember loving getting behind the wheel for the first time myself."

Lucy frowned, "But you didn't get your license till you were like old, right?" Remembering how Kendall put off getting his driver's license until he was in his late teens.

"I still loved it," he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Lucy bent down to observe her son inside the car. "You know, I've never seen Ryan take to anyone so quickly. He's usually quite shy around strangers. It took him two weeks before he started trusting the daycare staff. Are you having fun, Ryan?"

Ryan nodded, looking over at his mother. "Look, mommy. I'm driveen."

"It's 'driving,' honey. And awesome! Look at you, such a big boy now."

"Driving," Ryan corrected himself and went back to looking out the window, pretending he was actually functioning the car.

Lucy grinned. "Alright, buddy. How about you get out of the car, so we can go home?"

Ryan pouted. "Why? I wanna drive more, mommy."

Lucy shook her head, walking over to the driver's side and opening the door. She bent down. "We have to let Kendall go to work, and you have to go home and eat your snack. Grandma sent some of her yummy cookies for you."

Kendall stood up. "Hey, it's no problem. He can play some more. I don't have to be at work for another hour."

"Oh no, really, we should get going." Lucy lifted Ryan out of the car. "Say thank you to Kendall, Ryan."

Ryan smiled toothily at Kendall. "Tank you, Kendall."

"It was my pleasure, Ryan," Kendall replied, leaning on the top of the car. He snapped his fingers. "Hey, Ryan, do you like hockey?"

Ryan nodded. "Watch hockey wit uncle Josh when he visits me and mommy," referring to Lucy's brother.

"How would you like it if you and your mommy came to watch an L.A. Kings' hockey practice one day?" Kendall lifted an eyebrow, cocking a finger at Lucy's son.

Ryan gasped. "Mommy, we go? We go, mommy?" He wiggled in Lucy's arm, trying to get her to agree.

Lucy laughed, holding tightly onto her squirmy child. "Okay, okay. We can go." She looked over at Kendall. "Are you sure this is okay?"

"Trust me. It'll be fun. I'll let you guys know when it can happen, okay?" Kendall waved a hand. He turned his attention to Ryan. "So, I'll you next time, okay, Ryan? I'll let you drive my car again too."

Ryan clapped his hands and hugged his mother in excitement. Lucy rolled her eyes at Kendall, making sure that her son didn't see, smiling all the while. "Great, this is all he'll talk about until it happens, but thanks, Kendall. It means a lot that you're doing this for me." Lucy cradled the back of Ryan's head to her.

Kendall smiled, shutting the passenger side door to his car. "Hey, what are friends for? Hey, before I forget, you should hang out with me and the guys some time. It's been way too long since we've all hung out." He walked over to where Lucy and Ryan were standing. "It'll be like old times."

"Sure, sounds fun. Anyway, we better be heading off. If he doesn't get his afternoon nap in, I'll be dealing with a cranky child all night," Lucy said, tickling Ryan's stomach, causing him to giggle. "Say bye to Kendall."

"Bye, Kendall," Ryan smiled from the crook of his mom's neck.

"Bye, Ryan. Thanks for driving me around today," Kendall winked at the toddler.

Lucy laughed, heading away from the car. "Thanks again, Kendall for coming today. I think you just made his year with everything you've done." She lifted a hand to wave, before making her way to her own vehicle.

Kendall watched as Lucy safely tucked Ryan into his car seat with a smile on his face. He was glad that Lucy's dark days were over and that she had Ryan in her life. He could see that Lucy was a great mom; always putting her son first. Even though Lucy thought that he was going out of his way by inviting them to practice, Kendall was actually more than pleased that he could do something to make her and Ryan happy. It was great seeing mother and son grin from ear to ear.

He sighed happily before he slid into his car to drive off to practice.

* * *

A/N: Goodness, this chapter needed a lot of editing. I realized that I had initially made Ryan way too comprehensible for a two year old. But I really wanted to include a scene to depict how good Kendall is with kids.

And I know I always write it so that Kendall is slightly weird about James and Katie's relationship, but I figured if this was actually canon, Kendall would probably have some sort of spazz attack!

I have a little surprise coming for you all in the next few days, so keep an eye out. It's this year's holiday non-holiday-story from me. :)

Please leave a comment. I love hearing everything you guys have to say!

Love,

D


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry about the late update! I've been kind of in a rut with this story, but hopefully, I have things back on track with it.

Thanks to all my regular reviewers: Readplz, Codex, QuirkySmile, peteythepirate, annabellex2, plus many others (I promise to name you next time)! This story wouldn't keep going if it weren't for you guys. XO

Disclaimer: BTR is not mine

* * *

"Kendall. Kendall. Wake up! Kendall."

Kendall groaned, blearily reaching around for his phone to check the time. Three in the morning. He squinted at the shadow at the foot of his bed.

"What the...Katie? What are you doing in my room so late?" He abruptly sat up, opening his eyes wide. "Is it mom? Is there something wrong?" He was about to throw his blanket aside so that he could grab some clothes and head to the airport when Katie flopped down onto the bed.

"No. It's not mom. Nothing's wrong, everything's fine."

"Oh, thank goodness. What are you doing in here?" Kendall asked, sagging his shoulders in relief.

"This is my last night here. Do you think it's crazy that I'm moving in with James so soon? I mean, I know I was the one convincing you to let us do this, but now that it's really happening, I'm just like...I'm just like...I'm freaking out! This is a bad idea, right? I mean, what is happening with my life?"

Kendall could sense that Katie was starting to over-think things, and every time that she did that, she often came to the wrong conclusions. It was her greatest character flaw.

He sighed and patted the spot beside him, signalling for her to join him. Katie crawled across the bed and quickly made herself comfortable by leaning into her older brother's arm. It was something that she used to do as a child when she couldn't sleep at night. Secretly, Kendall liked that their relationship was still this close even after so many years. When he was out here last, visiting his sister, Kendall worried that their relationship was changing because Katie was keeping everything to herself. After one particular episode, she had finally broken down and explained everything to him. Kendall realized that she was only keeping secrets from him so that he wouldn't have to worry about her, but it was nice to know that Katie would always depend on him.

"Katie. I don't really have to tell you this, because I know you know it, but you and James love each other. It's natural for you guys to eventually move in together. You said it yourself, you guys have lived together before, there's nothing different, really."

"Yeah, but we're moving in together," Katie reiterated. "Does this mean something? Are we taking it too far? This is crazy. It's absolutely crazy. I should just cancel the whole thing. I can still do that, right? It's not too late. Carlos can go find his own darn apartment! This one's mine."

Kendall widened his eyes. He never thought that he'd ever have to deal with Katie having cold-feet; she was usually so sure of herself. But, then again, Kendall never had to deal with Katie being in a long-term relationship.

"Whoa, okay, slow down," Kendall breathed out, wrapping an arm around Katie, pulling her into a side hug. "Just breathe, and relax." He waited until he could feel his sister following his instructions. "Now, I'm going to tell you what's going to happen. Tomorrow, we're going to move your stuff over to James' place because you _are_ moving in with him. Just like every other decision that you've ever made, this one is right, too. You are ready to move in with James, because the two of you are at this stage. Like James says, there's no real time limit on you guys, you do things when they feel right, and this feels right, right?"

Katie nodded.

"And you have nothing to worry about, if it turns out that it is too fast for you guys to live together, you can always come back here because I'll be here. Kind of like a safety net."

Katie sighed, "Okay," she whispered much more calmly. "You're right." She sat up and smiled sheepishly at her brother. "Thanks, Kendall, for letting me have a spazz attack on you."

"It's what I'm here for," Kendall grinned, causing Katie to giggle.

She leaned over and hugged him. "Thanks, big brother. For everything."

Kendall returned the hug. "You're welcome, baby sister."

* * *

Kendall held up a jar filled with a mysterious liquid up to the light. "What is this?"

"It's ferret urine. I'm testing it to see if the ferret has a specific disease," Beverly replied, watching Kendall make a face as he set the jar down in haste. "So, how did the moving-in go?"

Kendall had told Beverly all that had happened the past week with him and his friends, excluding the part about Lucy and Ryan, he just didn't think that it would seem appropriate to bring up the fact that he hung out with his ex-girlfriend on occasion.

"Pretty well, considering. There were some tears, Carlos', and screams, Katie's, and some laughter, mine," Kendall winked at Beverly. "After two nights of random screaming phone calls to my cellphone, they're finally getting settled in. I honestly have no idea how they managed not to kill each other at this point."

Beverly laughed, "I do. They're crazy about each other."

"Exactly my point."

Beverly rolled her eyes and went back to checking the x-rays in front of her.

Kendall cocked his head, studying the veterinarian at work. "Have I ever told you that you look amazing in that white coat?"

The brunette turned around and smirked at the man standing behind her. "Bearing in mind that this is the first time you've seen me in it, no." She laughed. "You're shameless." Beverly walked closer to him. "Thanks for the compliment, though," she placed a heated kiss on his lips.

Kendall wrapped his arms around her waist, "I should compliment you more often, if this is the way you're going to thank me," he said, returning her kiss.

Beverly pulled away so that he could see her rolling her eyes at his clichéd answer. Kendall chuckled and glanced up at the clock.

He scratched the back of his head. "I have to get going. Going to be late for practice if I don't leave now."

"Oh, yeah, of course. Sorry again about missing lunch. I get a bit swamped here sometimes."

Kendall grinned. "No problem, it's great to see where my gir−you work," he cleared his throat.

Beverly crossed her arms, tilting her head. "Where you just going to say, 'girlfriend?'" A light smirk donned her face.

Kendall sheepishly grinned. "Maybe. Why? Is that a problem?"

Beverly fake pondered his answer. "No, not really," she winked at him.

Kendall let out a breath, "Okay, then," he opened the door, still looking at her. "I guess I'll see you later, _girlfriend_." He scrunched up his nose. "Yeah, that was pretty lame, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, a little bit. But, I liked it. Now, get to work before you're late, _boyfriend_."

Kendall waved before leaving with a big grin on his face.

* * *

"Knight. When you have a moment, we'd like to speak with you."

Kendall turned his head to the booming voice across the ice rink. He located the coach and the other assistant coaches inside one of the offices on the side of the rink. After standing out on the ice, coaching the players for a couple of hours, he welcomed the idea of talking with the his colleagues inside the warmth of the cramped office. He turned his attention back to his disciples.

"Alright guys, continue with this for the next 10, then move onto shooting. McCann, I want you in net, first." Kendall pointed to the backup goalie. "Then it's Foster. Hill," he looked at Beverly's younger brother, "I want to see improvement. Watch the wrist. Burstrom, you too." The two younger players nodded their heads before concentrating back on their drills.

Kendall nodded, before heading off the ice. He made his way into the office where the others were waiting for him expectantly. John Burns, the headcoach of the team was sitting behind the desk while the other two assistant coaches, Charles Ross and Paul Markov flanked his sides. All three men had been national hockey players within the last decade; Kendall was well-aware that he was working with legends and felt more honoured than ever that he was chosen to work along these people.

"John, Charles, and Paul, what can I do for you fellas?" Kendall asked, smiling pleasantly.

It was rare for him to be called in while he ran the team drills. Being a lower ranking assistant, Kendall was in charge of the warm ups and the cool downs; while seemingly unimportant, Kendall knew that the drills were crucial to every player. Every tiny detail of the player's movement established his ability to be the best of the best. It was up to Kendall to hone the proper techniques for each player.

John cleared his throat. "Kendall, it's been a couple of months now since you've joined us."

Kendall nodded. "Yes, sir, it has."

"And how's that been working out for you?"

"Great. Though, it'd be nice if the coffee machine actually worked. I hate having to send out Petrov every day just to get my caffeine fix," Kendall replied jokingly. A running joke amongst the team was how the players were on schedule to do the coffee run for the coaches as the coffee machine in the training centre was being fixed. However, the coffee machine was 'out of order' since the moment Kendall arrived, and two years prior. The system operated by placing the players' names into a hat and randomly selected. But for as long as the coffee machine was broken, Petrov was the only one who had coffee duty, partially due to the fact that his name was the only one in the hat. Fortunately, Petrov was in on the joke and was happy to go along with it.

"That's good to hear, on another note, I'm sure you know that the pre-season is right around the corner, and we've decided that you are to join us during the home games and a couple of the away games too," John stated, getting straight to the punch.

Kendall was careful not to let his jaw drop. As the general manager and the coaches have discussed when Kendall first joined the team, he was told that he would only work with the team in the practice arena, at least until he was really integrated with the system. Kendall wasn't expecting the opportunity to work with the team during official games at least until the new year.

Kendall blinked a couple of times before answering, "I really appreciate this opportunity. Can I ask why?"

John stood up. "Well, we've been watching you with the guys, Kendall, and we have to say, you do some mighty fine work. I haven't seen Grant shoot the puck like that, ever. He gets your style, the same goes for at least half those guys out there," he pointed to the rink. "We'd like to see what you can do when they're out there on the ice facing the other team. Take it like a chance to see what it's like working behind the boards in the big leagues."

Kendall grinned. "You can absolutely count me in."

"Fantastic. Now, we're setting up the roster soon, and since you've been with the boys for a while, we'd like to hear what you'd have to say about the team positioning. Ain't nothing like valid opinion from every person on the team," John added.

"Sure thing. Thanks again for this opportunity," Kendall affirmed, stepping back slightly, knowing that the meeting was coming to an end. "If you'll excuse me, I should probably get back to practice."

"Right, you are, Kendall. We won't stop you."

"Oh, wait a minute," Charles stopped Kendall. He wrestled around in his pocket before pulling out a neatly folded up photo. He smiled sheepishly at Kendall. "Hey, my daughter, who is a completely grown woman, found out that you're working with me now and completely freaked out. Apparently she was a huge fan of yours back in the day. If you don't mind, Kendall, would you sign this for her? It'd mean the world to her." He handed over a photo of the boys from way back when, and a silver marker.

Kendall laughed, but gladly signed the photo for Charles' daughter, making sure that it was personalized to her. He stood up after he was finished, "Here you go. I hope she likes it." He shrugged. "I'm surprised none of you or the guys haven't taken the mickey out on me for being in a boy band."

The three men standing in front of him laughed before Paul responded. "That's because we haven't had our biannual karaoke night, yet. You just wait for it."

Kendall chuckled nervously, causing the others to smirk. He shrugged again and turned around. Walking away from the office, he hoped none of the players could see that ecstatic grin plastered across his face as he forgot about the upcoming torture, and focused on the opportunity that was just presented to him.

* * *

A/N: First of all, the timing of this chapter's update was not purposely scheduled for the exact moment that the NHL returns (finally!), it just so happened to be an awesome coincidence! Secondly, I wrote this chapter weeks ago, and at first, I didn't like how I wrote Katie's anxious moment with Kendall because I wasn't sure if her character would really act like that, but returning to it now, I can see this happening by the way I developed her in this universe. Hopefully you guys feel the same. :)

Just a little note, I won't be updating this story as fast (or as slow :/) as I usually do, because I am working on another story simultaneously. This is the first time I've ever done this, so I'm not too sure how my time management skills are. (Shameless plug: for those of you who are willing to read an M rated story, please check out _Demon Hunters)_. I'll try my best to update HC as frequently as possible.

As always, please leave a review, your positive feedback (or just feedback) is fuel to my fire.

Love,

D


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Dear readers, I apologize for the delay in updates, honestly, I've lost a little inspiration for writing this story, but, I do promise to finish it, it'll just take a little longer than intended.

Thanks so much for those of you who are still following this story, your support means so much.

[Readplz]: Thanks so much for your input, I'll definitely take that into consideration as I write (I'll try to add some more scenes in as I edit). I know that towards the end of this story, there will be a major Jatie incorporation into the plot, but for now, it's going to be build up...sorry!

Disclaimer: I don't own BTR

* * *

Deciding to drop by his sister's office to tell her the good news in person, Kendall was greeted with a chaotic lobby and a slightly frazzled Magdalene. Magdalene was Katie's long time receptionist and one of her close friends; though Kendall didn't know her all that well, he was glad that his sister had someone to rely on in terms of business and friendship.

"Hey, Mags. What's going on?" Kendall looked questioningly at the full lobby. He recognized a few faces from commercials and films he had seen.

Magdalene ran a hand through her hair. "Ever since the news leaked that Knight Management had something to do with the fall of FMA, everyone's been flocking here so that we can manage them. It's been absolutely crazy, we've had to shoo away so many people, but they keep coming."

"Oh," Kendall replied.

When Kendall had moved back to California, Katie had filled him in with the specific details of how she manipulated Paul Fulton and Chris White to tell her the truth about the Ponzi scheme that Fulton was operating under his corporation. Incidentally, Fulton wound himself into the trap by wanting to destroy Katie's company by using James' ex-manager to his advantage. Unfortunately for him, Fulton had underestimated Katie's ability to see through his schemes, and the force of all of their friends. Kendall remembered how Carlos had put on a noteworthy performance the day that Katie ensnared Fulton and White in her office, and Logan had risked facing imprisonment by hacking into FMA's mainframe. Though James had attributed little to the event, he was willing to sacrifice his career by exposing his past indiscretions in his magazine piece, however, Kendall had stopped him before he published. Knowing that his friends would do so much for his sister meant more to him than anything in the world.

Kendall looked towards Katie's office. "Is she busy, or can I sneak in a talk with her for a moment?"

Magdalene looked at the clock. "You know what? She's been locked in there all day, dealing with everything. I'm going to kick everyone out now, so you take your time with her." She quickly paged Katie to inform her of his visit.

Kendall beamed at her. "Thanks, Mags." He went over to knock on the door.

"Come in!" Katie's voiced called through the thick panel of wood.

Kendall walked in and closed the door behind him. He found Katie reading something on her desktop while simultaneously signing a document in front of her. Her half-eaten bagel laid out beside a mountain of paperwork.

Kendall frowned spotting her unfinished meal. Though Katie was as healthy as can be since his move out west, she was still technically in recovery from malnutrition. For someone who was naturally small, Katie had to watch her intake of a proper diet. Logan had set up a charting system so that he could monitor her eating habits.

Katie glanced up and saw his frown. "That's not my lunch you're evilly glaring at. It's actually a snack, I was full after eating half of it. So you can probably stop looking at it like it killed your pet goldfish."

After hearing her explanation, Kendall grinned and sat down across from her. "I never had a pet goldfish. Mom thought I was too irresponsible, remember?"

Katie snorted, "And with good reason. You left me in the bathtub for two hours once. I ended up getting pneumonia. You're lucky I didn't die." She smirked at him as she filed away one document.

"It was one time! And I apologized, didn't I? It's really mom's fault for leaving me to babysit you while the playoffs were on. It was actually her fault that you got sick," Kendall guilty cried out.

Katie giggled. "So, what are you doing here?"

"I've got a couple of good news to tell you, so why don't you grab your stuff so we can leave?" Kendall shot a finger gun at her.

His sister groaned, "I would love to, but I have a whole bunch of paperwork to do, and a fully lobby of actors and singers to deal with, out there. I thought life would be easier once I expanded."

Kendall shrugged, "So? Expand again. It's not like you can't afford it. It's probably bound to happen anyway, considering you took down one of Hollywood's most affluential management companies."

Katie groaned again. "I've thought about it, but that means that I would have to go through all the interview processes again, and look for a bigger office. I mean, Laura doesn't even have an office here. She has to work at her home office. Not that it's really a big problem, since she wanted to spend more time with her kids. But still, I really don't have any spare time to go office space hunting and deal with interviews, and handle all my clients."

"And that's why you have me around. Practices only run for a few hours each day, and I don't coach for all of it, so I could go searching for you. Once I find a place that I think will work for you, I'll tell you," Kendall offered.

"You would really do that for me?" Katie asked, eyes bright.

"Absolutely. It's what big brothers are for."

Katie got up and squealed. "Thank you!" She ran over to hug him. "You are the best brother, ever!"

Kendall laughed, returning the hug. "Come on, let's get out of here. Mags should have kicked everyone home by now, and you can always take some of this work home with you, I'm sure that'll keep you and James off each other for a while," Kendall joked, inwardly cringing at the mental thought.

Sighing as she cleaned up her desk, Katie responded, "He's in New York with Jack, right now, doing an album promo; hence the chaotic lobby." She looked meaningfully at Kendall, "He'll be gone for a few days, so you don't have to worry about anything happening, even though I'm a fully grown woman who can make my own decisions."

Kendall whistled, shoving his hands in his pockets. "Wow, this is like the first time you guys have been apart since you've started dating. Feeling strange?"

Katie scoffed, "Please, I think we're used to being apart from each other, considering that all of us live such chaotic lifestyles." She stood across from Kendall, raising an eyebrow and perching a hand on her hip. "Could you imagine if Gustavo didn't come to Minnesota, searching for a singer? We'd all probably still be there, doing regular people stuff."

The siblings locked eyes, sharing a contemplative look before bursting out into laughter.

"There's no way that would have happened. I think we'd all end up exactly where we are now. BTR was amazing while it lasted, but we all ended up doing what we really wanted to do." Kendall frowned mid-speech. "Well, I don't actually know what Carlos wanted to be, though, he did say that he wanted to be a superhero...hmmm."

Katie laughed, pulling Kendall to the door. "Is it weird that he kind of ended up fulfilling his wish? He gets to act in films, who knows, maybe one day he'll land a comic book role." She locked up her office and smiled gratefully at Magdalene who was standing by the front door, ready to leave. "Hey, Mags, thanks for clearing the lobby for me. I still can't believe that many people showed up today!"

"No problem. Hey, I just got another cryptic message on the phone. I wrote it down, do you want to look at it now?" Magdalene frowned, pointing to a post-it.

Katie glanced at Kendall quickly before turning her attention back towards her assistant. "It's probably another talent who's looking for management. I'll look at it tomorrow. We're probably heading out for dinner, do you want to join us?"

Magdalene shook her head. "Thanks for the invite, but the hubby's waiting downstairs for me. We've got an appointment with the realtor to see a couple of houses." She ushered Katie and Kendall out of the office so she could lock up.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot that you were looking for a new place," Katie replied, simultaneously reading her phone. "Can you remind me to call Colossus about that job for Russell?" She said, abruptly changing the topic. "He's been having some down time since the divorce and the book, but he's really excited about this project."

Kendall sighed, thinking about Russell Brand's relationship, as they rode the elevator down to the parking lot. Everyone had thought that they were going to make it, but alas, they too were cursed with the Hollywood relationship lifespan. Thankfully, Russell had Katie, who had always kept Russell by her side because he was her first client. Kendall still couldn't believe that Russell had been willing to hire a ten year old as a manager, but knowing Katie, she probably impressed him with her wit and schemes. Kendall appreciated the fact that the older man had watched out for his sister when he was still living in Minnesota. Fortunately for Katie, she was charming enough to win over anybody she wanted to.

"Sure thing," Magdalene responded as the elevator stopped off at the main floor. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Nice seeing you, Kendall."

"Likewise, Mags," Kendall waved to the woman as she got off.

"So, what is it that you have to tell me?" Katie asked her older brother.

* * *

"So, wait, you've not only got a girlfriend, but also a promotion of sorts?" Katie asked, pointing her chopsticks at Kendall. The two had decided to order Chinese take-out and brought it back to the condo. "Hmmm, interesting."

Kendall frowned. "What do you mean, 'interesting?' Shouldn't you be excited for me?"

Katie swallowed her bite, "Don't get me wrong, I'm completely happy for you, big brother. It's just, I don't think that you've thought about what the scheduling for the games will be like for your relationship. I mean, you know hockey, it's not like you stay in one place for very long. You'll be travelling the country for half a year. You said it yourself, you're not a good long distance dater. It's not going to be easy," Katie stated wisely.

Kendall quickly retorted. "Her brother plays for my team. I'm sure Bev knows what my schedule will be like."

"Yeah, her brother. You're her boyfriend. Things are different for you guys."

"Well, what about you and James? You guys have crazy schedules. How do you work around that? Even when you're physically together, you two manage to rile each other up like constantly." Kendall said as he bit into a chicken ball.

His sister glared at him with cheeks full. "I told you earlier, James and I are used to scheduling conflicts. Luckily for us, we have the luxury to play with our schedules so we can always fly off and be with each other whenever necessary. And yes, we argue, but that's how we communicate, it's how we've always done it. Is it healthy? Probably not, but we're good. However, Bev is a veterinarian. It's not like she can close up her practice whenever she misses you, she'd lose her business that way. And you guys just started dating. How likely is it for either of you to risk your careers for one another?"

Kendall chewed slowly, contemplating his sister's answer. "You know, I hate it whenever you lay out the facts straight."

"I can't help it. It's what I do, both as a younger sister and as a manager. I tell it like it is," Katie smiled winningly. "Look, just because I kind of made it sound bleak and depressing, there is a likelihood that I'm just a pessimist. Bev could potentially be the one that grows old with you, as horrifying as that may be."

"Always so funny, baby sister," Kendall replied, unamused, to his sister's quip. They continued eating, but Kendall kept rolling his sister's words around in his head.

* * *

A/N: Eh, sort of a filler, but there are some key things in this chapter that I hope you noted.

I hope the chapter was to your liking, as always, please leave a review! I love hearing your comments. As a birthday present to me? *blinks hopefully*

Love,

Dawnindanite


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Ahh! An actual update. So sorry for the delay. Work always calls for attention, and one has to answer.

Thanks for all the love you guys have given this story-reviews, favs, alerts...reads! Makes my day!

Disclaimer: BTR is not mine!

* * *

After a couple of weeks of intensive practices, and many meetings, Kendall was finally packed and ready to go to the team's first away-game.

"So, like what? You're actually going to be on national television? Wow, I can't believe it. We've been watching those guys since we were babies, dreaming that we'd be one of them, and now you are one, well, one of the guys in suits," James exclaimed, ushering Kendall to make a move in the pool game they were playing at his mansion.

Kendall splayed his hands apart, still holding onto his cue-stick. "I know. I've been pinching myself all week, I've got bruises up and down my arm. I still can't believe this is happening. It's completely unreal," he sighed dreamily, blinking his green eyes. He eyeballed his next move.

"Well, congratulations, man. Speaking of congratulations," James leaned against his cue-stick and smirked suggestively at Kendall. "Has Bev congratulated you, yet? And I don't mean by taking you out to dinner."

Kendall took his shot and missed. He straightened up, groaning. "James, everyone knows what you mean when you say things like that." He sighed again, this time, a little more contemplatively. "And no, we haven't done it, yet. We're taking it slow."

"Dude!" James cried, shooting his shot and getting the ball in. "It's been like a month or something like that. You better get on it. She's gonna start thinking there's something wrong with you. I mean, not that I know from personal experience or anything. You're a good-looking guy, she's a looker herself, what's holding you back?"

Kendall rolled his eyes, listening as James' Hollywood lingo seeped into his speech. He knew Katie was quite literally trying to knock it out of the celeb's head, being unable to tolerate it herself.

"There's nothing holding me back, we're just waiting for the right time," Kendall replied, though not completely convinced himself.

He had wondered why it was taking so long for him and Bev to reach that stage. Over the course of the last month, they had went out or stayed in together quite numerously, but they had never crossed that final line. It was unusual for Kendall to wait this long before sleeping with a girlfriend. He remembered it only taking five dates with Lucy before it happened when they were living at the Palm Woods. He shook his head, it was probably a bad idea to think about his ex-girlfriend, who was now currently his friend, in a mental discussion with himself about sex with his current girlfriend. He shook his head again, thinking about how confusing that last thought was.

"It'll happen when it happens," Kendall stated, hoping that his friend would stop with this conversation.

"Hey, I'm home. Oh, hey, Kendall, Henry didn't mention that you were here." Katie said, mentioning James' manservant as she entered the rec room, or as she liked to call it, 'James' Man Cave'. "Shouldn't you be home packing your stuff?"

"All done. So, now I'm just killing time with James. Carlos is still working on that movie, which I thought he was supposed to be done by now."

Katie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. James slapped himself on the forehead behind her, causing Kendall to frown.

"Ugh, don't even get me started on him. He was supposed to be done, but no. The idiot had to go and insult Marka, _again_, about her acting. And Marka, lovely Marka, decides that she doesn't want to do the film anymore until Carlos apologizes. So for a whole week, the two of them were sitting in their trailers fuming about each other. Kevin, the director, is furious with the both of them, and with me for being unable to control them. They don't even realize that they're practically blacklisting themselves _and me_ with their childish behaviour. Rachel and Ali have been working with their respective PR people to keep this fight on the down low, because if the media catches wind of this, that's the end of both of their careers," Katie spewed out, a little grateful that she had the actors' agents to help her out.

Kendall whistled, thinking of why James didn't want Kendall to mention Carlos. When his sister was mad, everyone suffered. "Then what happened?" Even though he knew of the consequences, he was still curious as to how the story ends.

"I had to threaten Carlos that if he didn't apologize, than I was going to call home to Mrs. Garcia and let her deal with her boneheaded son. As for Marka, well, because she still has to remain on her grandfather's good side, I told her that if she doesn't accept Carlos' apology, than I was going to tell the paparazzi myself, about what was going on on-set."

Kendall and James winced, "That's harsh, sis." They were aware of how Marka, coming from an affluential family back east, would have to comply to anything that Katie dished out because she didn't want to go back to the likelihood of not only possibly shaming her family name, but also risk potentially losing out on her inheritance.

"Ugh, they should be thankful that they still have their jobs. Now, I have think about how to get back into Kevin's good books so that he'll want to work with me in the future, and not think that I'm so hapless at my job. Never again will I put those two together. I better go make some phone calls right now to try and sort this out."

"Okay, I'll call you when dinner's ready," James said sweetly as he laid a cautious kiss on Katie's hair. "Don't worry yourself over it."

Katie sighed, "'Kay." She briefly hugged him and left the room to head into her home office that once belonged to James. He had given up the room when he realized that his girlfriend needed more than he did. There was little that could be done behind a desk for a singer slash actor.

Kendall bit back a smile, as he witnessed the whole exchange. Even though he constantly questioned their relationship, it was always moments like these that helped him understand how and why James and Katie stayed together.

Not wanting to let James know exactly how much he approved of the relationship, Kendall smirked and did a whipping motion with his hands while simultaneously making the suggestive noise that went along with it.

James flushed, "I am not whipped, okay? Just make your move!"

Kendall's smirk grew even wider. "It's your move, actually."

James grumbled before setting himself up to take another shot. "I knew that."

Kendall chuckled, happy that his friend was suffering slightly. "You are so totally whipped, my friend. Let's face it. You wrote an epic love letter that was published for the whole world to see. Then you write Katie a love song that is so clearly about her. And now, you've not only moved her into your once esteemed 'bachelor mansion,' but also relinquished your prized office. I know you use that office to impress the directors that come over here."

"I didn't have any use for it, really. I can entertain the directors in my living room," James shrugged. "And you, of all people, should know that I wrote that letter, initially, to save Knight Management." He took a shot and missed.

"Yeah, for _Katie_!" Kendall reiterated, laughing.

"Okay, so I do a lot of things for her, but that doesn't mean I'm whipped," James all but yelled, pointing a finger at Kendall.

"Ahem, please excuse the interruption, but sir, Miss. Katie requires your assistance," Henry announced by the door.

James quickly placed the pool stick on the table. "Oh, thanks, Henry." He glanced at Kendall, "Don't you dare say a word."

Kendall laughed and once again made the whipping sound.

* * *

"Listen, you crazy woman, I told you, I don't have your pen! I can't believe you followed me home. You do realize that I can call security to come and get you, right?" Carlos cried out, despite the late hour.

Kendall woke up from the sudden yelling that entered the apartment.

"Please, if you wanted to call security, you would have left me by the front desk, but you didn't. And I know you have my pen. Leslie borrowed it from me and she lent it to Shane who lent it to you, so give it back." A female voice replied, equally as loud.

"_I don't have your pen!_ Why is it so important to you anyway? Just buy yourself a new one." Kendall stuck his head out of his room to see Carlos standing two feet away from a petite red haired woman, eyes blazing.

He stepped out of his room, "Is everything alright out here?" Kendall rubbed an eye.

Carlos gestured to Kendall, "You see? You've woken up my roommate, and he just came back from a flight."

Kendall swore he saw the pretty redhead look sheepishly at him before hardening her glare at Carlos, "That wouldn't have happened if you just returned my pen! And, I can't just go out and buy a new one, that one has sentimental value. Just give it back to me and I'll leave."

"I told you, I don't have it." Carlos sighed, rubbing his face. "Just go home, Marka. It's been a long day, and we still have to work together, again, tomorrow."

Recognizing her dismissal, Marka huffed. "This isn't over." She whipped her hair as she stormed out of the condo.

Carlos sighed, standing before the door. It took a minute before he shut the door and locked it. He turned around and looked at Kendall. "Sorry about that."

"So that's Marka, huh? She's...something," Kendall smirked. "Pretty, though."

Carlos scoffed, "As if. She's nothing but a big pain in my butt. I can't wait until we're finished working because then I won't have to look at her face day in and day out. Anyway, sorry to wake you. You can go back to sleep now."

Kendall smirked. "Okay, but if you want to talk, you know where to find me."

"There's nothing to talk about. She's a mean person, and I can't wait to get away from her!" Carlos yelled, slamming the kitchen counter.

Kendall held up his hands, "Okay. I gotcha." He finally understood what Katie meant when she said that she had never seen Carlos so angry. Very rarely did he himself see his best friend lose his temper, but when he did, things tended to break. "Just relax, and go to sleep. Katie brought over some food earlier, and there's some for you in the fridge. I know you miss Henry's cooking."

Carlos sighed again, dropping his face into his hands as he leaned on the kitchen counter. "Thanks."

Kendall realized that Carlos wanted time to himself, so he shut the door to his room, giving him some space.

* * *

"Wow. So he completely flipped, huh? You know I don't think I've ever seen Carlos angry. No wait, there was that time we played that exposing secrets game," Lucy said, as she sat with Kendall on a bench in the hockey arena. Practice had just finished and Kendall and Lucy were waiting around as Ryan took to running around by the rink's edge, excited from watching the players so closely.

Kendall chuckled. "I can't believe you remember all these things from way back then."

Lucy threw her head back and laughed. "Are you kidding me? Those were some great years. I bet you remember almost everything from then too. And, who could forget, that whole ordeal led to you almost butchering Camille from figure-skating. You know, I still have pictures of you in that sparkly purple outfit."

Kendall groaned. "Please tell me you're joking. That was an absolute nightmare, from beginning to end. I never want to relive that moment. Ever."

Even though Kendall was completely mortified with Lucy's anecdote, the two shared laughs as they reminisced. Time simply slipped away. They wouldn't have noticed how long they've been sitting there if a voice hadn't called out to Kendall.

"Kendall?"

Kendall turned his head to a familiar voice. Standing a few levels down was his girlfriend, Beverly.

She looked at Lucy and him questioningly as she continued her way up to them.

Kendall stood up. "Bev. Hey, what are you doing here?" He leaned down and kissed her in welcoming.

"Um, I closed the office a little early. I thought I'd stop by and surprise you." Beverly replied. "Who's your friend?" She raised a delicate eyebrow, voice calm.

Though it took him a few years to understand that girls spoke in a completely different language than a regular human being, Kendall knew that he was treading in dangerous waters with his girlfriend. Even still, he couldn't claim to be an expert in this field. Not for the first time, he wished that girls didn't have to speak so cryptically with double entendres all over the place.

Kendall whipped his head back and forth, flinching internally as he heard his nervousness. "Oh. My bad. Bev, this is Lucy, an old friend from my Big Time Rush days. Lucy, this is Bev, my girlfriend."

Lucy had stood up by the time he made the introductions. She threw Kendall a questioning look before smiling warmly at Bev. "Hi, nice to meet you. I've heard so much about you."

Kendall's eyes grew large. He had never mentioned Beverly to Lucy or vice versa. He had thought it was a bad idea to tell his current girlfriend that he was reconnecting with an old one or tell his ex-girlfriend about his new girlfriend. Kendall was starting to think that it was a bad idea. There was no way that this was going to end well.

"He mentioned how gorgeous you were, but clearly, his words do no justice," Lucy continued, still startling Kendall with her ease of fibbing. She looked down at her watch. "You know, we should probably get going. It's getting late." She called out to her son, who was still having the time of his life running across the backboards. "Ryan! Time to go home, sweetie."

Beverly looked down, noticing for the first time, the tiny person by the ice. She looked back up at Lucy. "He's your son."

Lucy grinned, "Yep, my only true love. Well, I don't want to hold you guys up." She turned to Kendall. "Thanks so much for letting Ryan watch the practice. It really means the world to him."

"No problem," Kendall replied after a beat, mentally scratching his head.

Lucy walked past the couple and headed down the stairs to collect her son. Beverly and Kendall watched on from above. Lucy quickly swung Ryan onto her hip and spoke him. Ryan looked up and waved, before Lucy walked them out the door.

Beverly turned to look at the sheepish blonde. "So, Lucy seems nice."

Remembering all the things that Katie had told him about reading girl's facial expressions when speaking, Kendall knew he was in the clear; Beverly was more amused than angry.

"She's really just an old friend. Her son really likes hockey, so I thought it'd be cool to take him to practice one day." He pulled her to his side as they climbed down the stairs.

"I didn't say anything," Bev responded. "Should I be worried?"

Kendall scoffed, hoping that she understood that he really only thought of Lucy in a platonic manner. "What? No." He grinned after a moment of silence. "Is that a hint of jealously, I detect?"

Beverly nudged him, giggling as he pulled her closer. She rolled her eyes at his apparent obliviousness. "Yes, I was a little jealous. I mean, come on, all of a sudden I see my handsome boyfriend with an attractive female, whom I've never heard of before, sitting alone in an arena, who wouldn't be jealous? But, I do believe you when you say that you guys are just friends. Trust me, I won't go all crazy-over-possessive-super-girlfriend-mode on you, but I am human, I'm allowed to be a little jealous."

Kendall stopped them in their tracks when they reached the parking lot. He nudged her chin up with a finger. "There's nothing going between Lucy and me. I only have eyes for you." He pulled her body up against his as he leaned down and gave her the most heartfelt kiss he could muster. He smiled as he felt her arms wrap around his neck.

When they pulled apart for air, Kendall grinned as he watched Beverly do her odd quirk of slowly opening her eyes, as if she were savouring every moment.

He chuckled, leaning his forehead against hers. "You know, I like a little green on you. It's hot."

Beverly rolled her eyes, smiling as she pushed him away. "I am _not_ green with envy." She unlocked her car door with her remote. "So, I'll meet you at my place?"

Kendall considered her, before answering. "Yeah. We're going to drop off your car, and then we're heading over to James' place."

"Wait? What?" Beverly blinked in bewilderment. "We're meeting up with your friends tonight?" Until this point, Kendall had yet to invite Beverly to join him and the gang for dinner because he didn't know how the group dynamic would be, especially with the history between Beverly, James, and Katie. However, it really wasn't until now that Kendall realized that it was silly of them to avoid each other, because the way he saw it, Beverly was going to be part of his future; they had to get used to it somehow.

"Yep. I think it's time that you join me in all the crazy, wonderful things that happen with my family."

Beverly blinked rapidly again before breaking out into a huge grin. "Okay, let's do this." She got into her car, smiling widely as she drove away.

Kendall grinned, watching his girlfriend leave, before getting into his own vehicle. Before starting the car, he pulled out his vibrating phone. He shook his head, smiling, as he read Lucy's message to him: _Yes, I totally just saved your butt. You're welcome. :) Your g/f's totally gorgeous btw. Why haven't you mentioned her? _

He couldn't believe his luck, that whole encounter between the two women could have played out much uglier than it did. Fortunately for him, Lucy was on the ball about the whole thing. He shrugged to himself thinking of why girls couldn't always be this awesome and not make a drama out of everything. It would make life much simpler for guys everywhere.

* * *

A/N: I know, I take the mickey out of women everywhere in this chapter, but being one myself, I know how catty girls can get. I thought it would be amusing to write something from a man's perspective. Also, I think guys everywhere appreciates a girl who helps him out with tight spots, and I think that Lucy would be one of those girls.

So, really, I'd love to hear what you guys think of this chapter. Review?

I promise to try and update soon, but somehow I actually managed to catch up posted chapters to written chapters. So we'll have to see how this goes. :)

Thanks again for your support! Love your guys!

Love,

D


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Thank you for your patience! I promise I'm doing my best to write as much as I can with this story, and others.

Thanks to the reviewers of last chapter and all chapters before that: Readplz, Science-Fantasy93, thesandbar, annabellex2. You guys are the best! XO

Disclaimer: Big Time Rush is not mine.

* * *

"So, Ali got me that role in Lee's next film." Kendall heard Carlos say as Henry opened the door for him and Beverly.

"Wait, he got you that role without any auditions?" Katie answered, skeptically.

"Yeah," Carlos replied, like it was the most natural thing ever.

"But you don't even have an audition reel. How is it possible?" Kendall heard frustration seeping through his sister's comment. He heard her sigh right before she continued. "Well, I guess it really doesn't matter. I'm glad you got the role. I've been so caught up with everything you and Marka are doing at the studio, plus working with Russell on his book, that I really haven't had time to read through scripts for you. So I guess it all works out."

Kendall walked into the living room holding onto Bev's hand. He felt her squeeze his hand slightly out of nervousness. He spotted Carlos give Katie a slightly-abashed look.

"Yeah, about Marka and me. Sorry about that. I really didn't mean to get you in trouble with Kevin. But, you know it's not really my fault, she's an impossible person!"

Katie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms from her seat. "Oh right, I should only blame Marka for everything. Especially the fact that there was itching powder in her costume, causing her to break out into hives, and a whole day of shooting was delayed."

Carlos grimaced. "Okay, so maybe a little bit was my fault." He sat down next to Katie and prodded her with a finger. "Forgive me, Katie-cakes?" Kendall bit his lip to hold in his laughter when he saw Carlos give Katie the puppy-dog look.

"Don't even try to give me that look. I practically invented it," the talent manager quipped. "Fine, I forgive you. Just stop putting me in the middle between you two. She's my client too. I have to consider her priorities just as well as yours."

"You're the best, Katie-cakes." Carlos pulled her into a side hug, or at least tried to, as Katie shoved him away.

Kendall figured it was time to get their attention. He cleared his throat. The two looked in his direction in surprise.

Katie stood up. "Kendall...and Bev," Katie said uneasily. "Hi." Katie looked pointedly at Kendall. Being able to read his sister's meaningful glare, he could tell that she wasn't amused by the surprise guest. She looked over at Beverly and smiled warmly. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Beverly smiled softly, nodding.

Carlos looked between Katie and Beverly, as if waiting for a bomb to explode. Always one to speak his mind, he said, "Wow, this is awkward. James' ex-girlfriend is Kendall's current girlfriend, and Kendall's sister is James' current girlfriend, and you guys are all in the same room together. This is like the Spanish soap operas that my mom used to make me watch."

Katie groaned, slapping her forehead. "Carlos! Really? For once, couldn't you have been a normal person and just let the awkwardness settle a bit before bringing it up? Not to mention, a little more subtly, maybe?"

Kendall spotted Beverly bite her lip, amusement danced in her eyes. He let out a sigh of relief.

Katie turned around, red-faced. "Bev, would you like something to drink? Coffee, tea?"

"Water would be great, thanks." Beverly answered, smiling pleasantly.

"No problem, Kendall, can you come help me with something?" Katie asked, in an obvious I-need-to-talk-to-you manner. "Carlos, entertain Bev for a few minutes."

As the Knight siblings headed to the kitchen, they heard Carlos as Beverly if she ever watched Spanish soap operas, and which one was her favourite.

Katie quickly turned on her brother once they reached the kitchen. Her eyes widened as she hissed in a hushed voice. "Why didn't you tell me that you were bringing Bev over? A little warning would have been nice."

"Warning? Katie, you know she's my girlfriend. I was bound to bring her over some time. Besides, what is there to warn you about? It's not like you're afraid of her, right? I mean, the great Katie Knight afraid of a little confrontation? That's absurd!" Kendall ended sarcastically, knowing that his sister did actually hate confrontations in her personal life.

Katie stomped on his foot, just like she did as a kid. Kendall grabbed onto the injured body part. "Don't get smart with me. You know perfectly well that I need to prepare myself for these situations," she continued speaking lowly. "This is one of those times where things can go really, really badly if I accidentally say something stupid. Oh, great. I'm probably going to end up saying something completely idiotic, and she'll think I'm sort of nutcase, dump you, and laugh at James for choosing to be with me."

Kendall stood there, holding his foot, amazed that his sister could weave an elaborate story out of nothing in less than a second. "First, ow!" He looked at his sister with wide green eyes. "Second, you are a nutcase! You were born a nutcase, but we all love you for it. And third, nothing like that is going to happen. You said it yourself, if it weren't for the awkward situation _six months_ ago, you would have been friends with Bev. It's all behind us anyway. There is nothing to worry about, baby sister."

"The point is," Katie ignored her brother, "you should have told me you were bringing her over. I mean, how hard is it to pick up a phone and call me for crying out loud." She poked him in the chest. "What are you waiting for? Go get your girlfriend a glass of water. I have to get the cheese."

Kendall raised an eyebrow. "Why cheese?"

"It's always cheese!" Katie yelled irrationally, making no sense to her brother.

Kendall sighed and turned around. It was probably his sister's time of month, but he wouldn't ask her in case he got his head chewed off. Also, he had heard that it was one of the worst things to ask a girl. Kendall whistled away as he got drinks for everyone.

They went back into the living room only to find the DVR on with Carlos pointing out characters to Bev who was politely listening to Carlos' ramblings.

"And see, that's Jésus. He's in love with Margherita who's his half sister, but he doesn't know it, and she does. And Margherita is in love with Pedro who is the gardner, and also her mother's secret lover. Man, I've forgotten how good these shows are." He shook his head fondly, grinning all the while.

"Carlos, please don't tell me that you're trying to fill my girlfriend's brain with pointless soap opera junk," Kendall said, staring down at his friend.

Carlos looked up at Kendall in confusion. "What are you talking about? Bev is so into this, aren't you, Bev?" He turned to look at the brunette sitting beside him.

She widened her eyes before carefully answering, "The storyline is...pretty preposterous."

Carlos gestured to her with both hands, looking at Kendall smugly. "See?"

"Carlos," Katie sighed, rolling her eyes, "do you even know what 'preposterous' means?"

The Latino dropped his jaw slightly, wondering how Katie could ask him such a question. "Yeah, I do. It means 'interesting'."

Kendall laughed. "No. No, it doesn't, buddy."

Katie raised an eyebrow at her brother before sitting down in the empty seat beside Carlos. "Like you know what it means?"

"It's synonymous with 'foolish,' baby sister." Kendall smirked, crossing his arms. His sister's eyebrow remained raised. "Word-a-Day calendar, remember?"

She smirked. "Oh, right. I guess that's how you also know how to use 'synonymously,' correctly too, right?" She jokingly added.

Kendall grinned and pointed a finger gun at her, "Exactly." He chuckled before taking a seat in the armchair. "So, what are we doing tonight? Any plans?"

Katie shook her head, "Not really. I mean, Cam and Logan have a date night, finally, and I was just going to go over some paperwork tonight. I have a lot to get done before Russell releases his book. And once he releases his book, he has to go on a mini-promotion tour, which means that I have to prepare for meetings with his PR, so that we can coordinate which shows we want to hit, book-signing events, maybe a reading. Then we have to plan when exactly this is going to happen, and for how long." Katie stared off into space for a second, "That means that I'm going to have to rearrange my client schedule with Laura and Jack. Oh, and I said that I was going to read those CVs today, hmmm, guess I'll have to get started on that too," she mumbled to herself, forgetting that she was in a room with three other people.

"Don't overwork yourself, Katie-cakes," Carlos warned before taking a cheese cube and popping into his mouth.

"What's this, I hear. Is Katie overdoing it again?" James' voiced echoed through the house.

"We're in here," she called out, tapping furiously into her phone. "And, I'm not overdoing it." She glanced up when she felt Kendall's eyes on her. "I'm not! Trust me, Logan's got me coming into the hospital at least once bi-weekly so that he can check all my vitals, and my food chart. I don't think he realizes that I really don't have time to do that."

"Well, I, for one, am glad that Logan is doing this. We don't want you keeling over again, do we?" James entered the room, placing a kiss on Katie's upturned lips.

Beverly looked questioningly at Kendall. "Malnutrition. We're keeping a close eye on her diet," he answered.

Suddenly remembering that Beverly was in the room, Katie snapped her eyes from James to Kendall to Beverly, and then back to James. "James, look who's here. It's Bev, Kendall's girlfriend."

James looked around to spot her. He nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Oh, hey. How's it going?"

Katie frowned at James. Knowing his sister, Kendall knew that Katie was confused as to why James was acting so casual about having his ex-girlfriend, per se, in his living room. He was honestly kind of surprised that Katie, after living with four boys most of her life, still didn't know that guys tended not to over-think things. It just made things simpler.

Obliviously to his girlfriend's questioning face, he turned back to her, "Hey, there was this package for you at the gate. I think it's from Russell. I left it by the stairs."

Katie frowned, "Why would he mail me something? I'm going to see him tomorrow." She hopped out of her seat, and headed towards the hallway.

After she left the room, James quickly turned back, "Okay, now that she's gone, I need you guys to come with me to the marina tomorrow. I don't care if you guys have work, come on your lunch break if you have to." He looked at Beverly, "Uh, sorry, Bev, this is a guys only kind of thing. You wouldn't mind sitting out would you?"

Kendall rolled his eyes at his friend's lack of tact.

Luckily, he had the best girlfriend. "Nope. I get it. It's the boys club. My brother wouldn't let me join him and his friends when they played in the treehouse. I totally get it." Beverly popped a cheese bit in her mouth. She chewed once before asking, "So, why the marina?"

"Can't tell. It's a secret," James shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets.

Kendall tilted his head slightly, looking at the casual exchange happening before him. He had expected more awkwardness between the two. He looked over at Carlos to see if he noticed too, but the man was too enraptured by the t.v. show that was still on.

"So, marina, tomorrow? I checked with Logan, he says he can make it any time tomorrow afternoon." James poked Carlos in the head to make sure that he was listening.

Carlos frowned, "I should be good. I have to shoot in the morning, but I think that's it."

"I'm good too, as long as I make it back in time to catch the flight out tomorrow night. There's a game in Colorado the day after," Kendall agreed as well.

"Okay, great," James rubbed his hands together in excitement. He stopped abruptly when he noticed something. "Hey, what are you guys doing here?"

"Bored," Carlos simply answered.

"Well, I thought we were going to have dinner together, that's why I brought Bev over, so we could all catch up. I guess I just assumed that you guys would be available," Kendall told James.

James crossed his arms and looked at Kendall admonishingly, "Well, you know what they say, 'when you assume, you make an ass out of u and me,'" he chuckled at his overused adage. "Nah, I'm totally kidding, I'm sure we can whip up a meal for all of us. Just let me go and ask Henry if we have enough food in the fridge, if not, I can run to the store and be back in a few." He walked out of the room and towards his kitchen, looking for his help.

Kendall took this opportunity to nudge Carlos over so he could sit beside Beverly. "So, that didn't go so bad, did it? I mean, you and James seemed to get along fine."

Beverly smirked, "Is that green you're wearing, Mr. Knight? Do I sense a little jealousy?" She giggled before leaning against his shoulder as she threw his comment back at him. "Besides Katie being a little obvious with her discomfort, adorably so, I may add, it was relatively easy to settle in. I mean, James always had the knack of charming the pants off everyone, and Carlos...well..." she looked pointedly across Kendall to the laughing Latino who was still watching his show.

Katie came back into the room, looking a little troubled.

Kendall frowned, wanting to know what was bother his sister. "What was in the package."

Katie looked up and blinked as if she was surprised to see people there. "Oh, nothing. It was just work related stuff."

"Speaking of work related stuff, I still haven't had time to look at places for you, Katie. I found some potential offices online, but I have to go check it out," Kendall informed her.

"No problem. Like I said, I still haven't gotten around to hiring more people yet. Just take your time with it," Katie shrugged him off. A crash followed by a curse came from the kitchen. Katie rolled her eyes, "I'll go check out what he did this time."

As she left the room, Beverly snuggled into Kendall's arms as they chuckled. "Yeah, they're totally nuts. But, I like them."

* * *

A/N: So I know it seems like this story is going nowhere, but I promise you, we are almost at the point where things happen!

The James/Katie/Bev/Kendall interaction is probably a lot more lacklustre than I could have made it, but Carlos was in the room. He just knows how to ease tension :)

Again, I love all of your support for this story! Thanks so much for reading!

Love,

D

P.S. Season 4! And end of BTR (maybe?) I seriously don't know if I'm excited or anxious that this could be it for us.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Hello! This story is still alive and well, and we are almost caught up time-wise to the end point of _Hollywood Management_! So this chapter was really fun to write just because it's all about our boys being together, and well, I hope you guys enjoy it as much I do. :)

Thanks to those for reviewing last chapter and the previous ones before that. This story really continues because of your positive support!

Disclaimer: I don't own BTR, the NHL and/or its players.

* * *

"Well, here it is!" James exclaimed, staring lovingly at the large floating structure in front of him.

Hands in his pockets, Logan turned his head with a mildly impressed look upon his face, "Wow. You actually did it, you bought yourself a boat."

"It's a yacht, actually," James clarified.

"What are you going to do with it?" Carlos asked, standing on James' opposite side.

James scoffed slightly, "Sail it, of course. Nothing like a man steering his own ship out at sea."

From Logan's far side, Kendall chuckled. "Do you even know how to sail it?"

"Eh, I'll learn. It shouldn't be that hard," the new owner responded.

The four best friends stood in a line admiring the latest contraption that they knew they would all eventually play with.

"Well, come on. Let's check her out," James gestured to the yacht.

The guys sized each other up for a split second before racing to reach the ladder. They pushed and shoved each other until finally Logan, always the scrappy one of the bunch, managed to squeeze his way up the rungs. He jumped onto the deck and started to dance.

The other three finally got on as well, panting from their minor skirmish.

Carlos frowned at Logan. "You only won because you elbowed me in the rib. You know that's a sensitive spot for me."

"Hey, we decided that when it comes to competitions, we're allowed to use each other's weaknesses against each other. It's listed clearly on our Competition Pact," Logan replied.

James looked at Kendall, whilst letting the other two argue for a couple more seconds. "You ever think that we have one too many pacts and rulebooks?"

"Are you kidding me? Writing those things took up half our childhood. And, we probably wouldn't still be friends without them. Those things have settled a lot of our fights, as seen with exhibit A," he pointed to Carlos and Logan who were now amicably exploring the yacht. Kendall let out a happy sigh, "It's good to know that life hasn't really changed us."

"True. But don't let the girls hear you say that, they already think that we're man-children," James wisely stated, knowing that the females in their lives would enjoy laughing at how childish they acted a little too much of the time.

Kendall nodded, agreeing instantly. He perked up when he spotted certain colours in the bridge.

"Is that..." he headed towards the tiny room that housed the steering wheel. "That's an autographed Doug Gilmour jersey! How in the world did you get this?"

James gave him a look, "The internet, obviously. Since this is an extension of my man-cave, I had to add a little flavour to it. And, without a doubt, I had to pay homage to our home team," he pointed to another framed jersey. "Andrew Brunette personally signed that one for me. We're on first name basis now," he bragged to Kendall about his friendship with the Wild's most famous captain.

Kendall smirked at his friend. "You do remember that I actually work in the NHL, right? If I wanted to, I can probably get in contact with all of the old timers."

James dropped his grin. "Darn it, how do I keep forgetting that? Anyway, you gotta admit, it is pretty sweet, right?" He gestured to the yacht as a whole.

"It is, I have to admit," Kendall nodded looking around. "Why the sudden splurge?"

"I'm getting things crossed off my list!" James explained. He eyed Kendall carefully, and the blonde knew that he had something more to say.

"What?"

James visibly gulped. "I have something else I want to cross off." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a velvet box.

Kendall's eyes widened as he lost his breath. He pointed at the box, then at James, then back at the box. "You! You? You want to marry my sister?" He shrieked. He shook his head. "No! No! Nuh-uh. Not allowing it," he started pacing back and forth, biting his finger nails.

Carlos and Logan rushed into the small room. "What happened? We heard Kendall yell."

They spotted the box clutched tightly in James' hand. "Dude!" They both exclaimed. They turned back to Kendall and promptly fled to his sides.

"Kendall, you know I love her," James tried to explain.

Anger coursed his blood. "For now!" he stopped pacing and glared at James. "Six months! Six months! That's how long you two have been dating, and you want to marry her? She's only twenty-two."

"Twenty-three," Carlos corrected, coughing into his hand.

"Twenty-three," Kendall amended, "still a child. She's too young to marry."

"You know that's not true, she's more mature than any of us," James pointed out. "She's perfectly capable of making her own decisions."

Kendall had to agree with that logic. "I don't care. Let me point out the fact that you can't stay in a committed relationship. You probably won't even feel this way next week."

It was James' turn to frown. "You know it's not like that with Katie. I would never hurt her, at least not on purpose. You can't use that as an excuse because you know it's not true. She's the one for me."

Kendall sputtered. "Fine! By why do you want to get married so fast anyway? Is there something I should know? Did you get her pregnant?" He stepped menacingly towards the tall man.

James gave him a look of disbelief, completely disregarding Kendall's stance. "What? No! Can you even hear yourself? You're starting to sound completely stupid."

He became completely unfettered. Kendall charged over and wrapped his hands around James' neck, only to have Carlos and Logan hold him back. "Get off me. I have to kill him!" He shouted, eyes blazing.

"Kendall, calm down. James, just hold your tongue," Logan advised, still struggling to keep Kendall from murdering their lifelong friend. "Kendall, I know it sounds like I'm taking James' side, but I'm not."

"You always take his side!" Kendall shouted.

"Would you let me talk? As I was saying, you have to give him the opportunity to logically elucidate his inclination to amalgamate with Katie in perpetuity."

Kendall stopped struggling so that he could glance at Carlos and James, whom he had momentarily forgotten that he wanted to murder, in confusion.

They all turned to the doctor and jointly said, "In English!"

Logan huffed. "Would you three please pick up a dictionary now and then to expand your vocabulary. Your lack of basic understanding is atrocious."

"Get to the point."

"My point is, that you need to let James explain why he wants to marry Katie. Logically speaking, you gave them your blessing to date, and the next step would be to allow them to marry. You have basically lent a hand in ferrying this relationship."

Kendall tensed. "I only did it to make them happy!"

"And this will make me happy. So, so happy!" James inputted. He sighed. "Look, Kendall. I _know_ my rap sheet is bad and you have every right to think that I won't be faithful to her. But you have to understand, I love her. Like really love her." He paused for a bit to carefully say his next few words. "I know we always said that we would never let a girl tear our friendship apart, but for her, I would do it. I'd risk losing everything for her."

Kendall dropped his arms to stare at James. He knew that James valued his relationship with the three of them more than anything. Growing up, James never got the attention he needed from his parents, they were either too busy working, fighting, or appearing as if they were good parents to really pay attention to their only son. By the time his half-sister came around, James had already moved out to California. James had told him on a number of occasions that their band of brothers was his true family he cared about.

Kendall raised an eyebrow. "You would do that? You would risk our lifetime time of friendship for a girl? Yeah, she's my sister, but you would still choose her over us?"

James gulped, but nodded. "I told you. Katie's the one. There's no way I'm losing her now or ever."

Kendall crossed his arms. "And what if she doesn't choose you? What if this doesn't mean as much to her as it apparently does to you?"

"I'd wait for her," James replied immediately.

Kendall stepped forward, with Carlos and Logan doing the same on each side in case he lost control again. "What if she never chooses you? What if she marries another man and has his kids and his grandkids, what then?"

Kendall could see the pain that flashed through James' eyes as they all imagined Katie with another man. "I'd still wait for her. Even if I died, I'll wait for her, because I really, honestly, truly, believe that she's the one. And I know that I said that I would be with her anyway if you didn't agree to this, but you being her only brother−"

Carlos cleared his throat and stared pointedly at James.

James corrected himself, "You being her only _blood_ brother, it would really mean so much to me if you were on board with this."

Kendall stared at him for a good minute. "Well, I'm already on board as it is," he gestured wildly to the surrounding yacht.

Carlos snorted. "Good one. 'On board,' classic."

"Wait," James pointed at Kendall. "Are you saying..."

Kendall sighed. "You have my blessing."

James grinned and jumped onto Kendall, knocking the wind out of him. Kendall could hear Carlos shout, "group hug," before he felt even more weight loaded onto him.

Waiting for the fourth member of their team, they pushed back to see where Logan was.

The doctor stood with his arms crossed. "Really? We're doing this?" Seeing his friends unrelenting, he sighed. "Fine. Group hug it is." He stretched out his arms and joined them.

After a moment of peace between the four of them, Kendall cleared his throat. "Getting a little awkward now."

"Yep."

"Mmhm."

"I like it," Carlos's voice muffled through the embrace.

"And we're done," Logan announced backing away, causing James and Kendall to chuckle.

"So, where are you planning on proposing?" Logan asked James.

"Here. In a couple of weeks or so. And I want you guys to be here too. It just wouldn't be right without you guys," James answered, running a hand through his hair.

A thought crossed Kendall's mind. "We should get our moms to come out. I've been wanting to get my mom out here for a while, and besides, she would be horrified if she knew that she missed Katie getting engaged."

James blanched. "You want my mom to come out here?"

"Yes, she needs to be here too. I think she'd kill all of us if you proposed to someone without her knowing."

They all nodded thinking about the horrors wrapped up in James' mother.

Kendall suddenly remembered, "Oh, and your dad and his family too, maybe?"

James shrugged. "It's not like I'm exactly close to my dad's family. I mean I visit him every once in a while, but this is just an engagement, I'll invite him to the wedding if it happens."

Carlos snapped his fingers. "We should totally have a party right after. I mean, everyone would be here, right? We could get Kelly, Gustavo, Mags...and Russell!"

"You want the engagement party to be right after the proposal?" Logan cocked his head. "You know, that's not such a bad idea. We all have such busy schedules, it'd make more sense to do everything at once as opposed to splitting it up."

"What if she says no? Hopefully not, but what if she does? It'll be really embarrassing to tell all those people that she didn't agree to marry me," James pointed out.

The other guys looked at each other then at him. Kendall sighed then flutter-rolled his eyes in that way that made it seem like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "As much as it still pains me to say this, she won't say no. I mean, you guys have one of the most tumultuous−"

"Nice word," Logan interrupted his friend, clearly impressed.

Kendall continued, "Tumultuous relationships I've ever seen, but for some reason, it's also one of the most sincere ones too. I remember my parents fighting as a kid, and I can honestly say that they never wanted to be with each other the way that you guys do. You guys actually want to make up after a fight, and I think that that's worth something."

James smiled warmly at his friend. "Thanks, buddy. It means a lot that you said that. And you're right. I know that I fight with Katie pretty often, but I also know that I can't lose her. I mean, I think I would actually go crazy if she left me." He paused before going back to his original point. "Okay, let's do this. I'm going to risk everything and tell everyone that we're having an engagement party!" He thought for a moment and added, "And, hopefully I'll actually be engaged when that happens!"

* * *

A/N: Doug Gilmour, couldn't help but through him in, a little Torontonian prideful moment ;)

Thanks again for all of your patience with this story! Your continued support means the world to me!

Love,

D

P.S. Happy Canada Day to my fellow canucks, and Happy Early Independence Day to my American neighbours!


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